HAVANA, Cuba, May 10 (ACN) Tamara Placeres Perez, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in the municipality of Old Havana, reported today that rescue and recovery efforts continue after more than 90 hours of the accident at the Saratoga Hotel.
She informed the press that a body was found in the early hours of the morning and is in the identification process.
Among the most immediate tasks of a constructive nature are the removal of the air conditioning systems, two gas tanks and the emptying of the swimming pool, which will be carried out in three phases due to its complexity.
The Cuban and Havana governments point out that the priority continues to be to find the five people who are still missing in the rubble.
The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban communist party and president of the country, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, clarified that so far 18 people remain in Havana hospitals, six of whom are reported in critical condition. A total of 93 people were injured in the accident; and so far, 40 people had died as a result of the terrible collapse.
The Cuban leader insisted on the attention to detail for the victims of the accident and their families, in all aspects.
He spoke particularly of the necessary psychological support after an event that has shocked the whole world. And of the recognition of the people who, since May 6, have been working tirelessly to find the victims: a priority that will be maintained until the last missing person is found.
For his part, the first secretary of the party in Havana, Luis Antonio Torres Iribar, stated that 38 houses are affected, for a total of 95 people, and that work is also being carried out in the Capitol, the Marti Theater and the Concepcion Arenal School, buildings affected by the explosion. The Hotel, he continued, we are focusing on the search for the missing persons and the rescue.
