MIAMI, United States. – Among the fatalities that resulted from last Friday morning’s explosion at the Saratoga Hotel, was Cristina López-Cerón Ugarte, a 28-year-old Spanish woman, a native of Viveiro, Lugo, who was visiting the island with César, her fiancé.
According to Spanish news medium La Noticia Digital, Cristina and César, who is seriously injured, arrived in Cuba on Thursday on vacation and were staying at a nearby hotel close to the Saratoga, where the explosion took place on the following day. The explosion has claimed 35 lives, and still counting.
The report states that the couple was strolling by the hotel when the explosion occurred. Cristina died as a result of the lesions she suffered. César was gravely injured and has been treated for various fractures.
“Cris Lo, a native of Viveiro, graduated with a degree in Economics from Universidad de Compostela, and worked in the banking industry. She had completed her master’s degree in Banking and Finances at the Oleiros Business School, in La Coruña. She was at the top of her class, a brilliant student,” the note states.
According to various sources quoted by La Noticia Digital, the couple had traveled to Cuba to celebrate César’s 30th birthday.
The accident
A gas leak caused the explosion at the hotel last Friday. The Saratoga had been closed since the start of the pandemic and was being prepped for its reopening. The entire façade of the building collapsed due to the explosion, and several adjacent buildings were damaged by the blast wave.
There were few workers inside the Saratoga Hotel, but the explosion injured many pedestrians, since the hotel is located in the heart of one of the busiest areas in the nation’s capital.
The report explained, also, that Spanish diplomatic personnel in Havana were facilitating the process of repatriation of Cristina’s remains, and that César is still in the ICU. ICU staff stated that it’s too soon to issue a prognosis.
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