Hotel Saratoga explosion

[5] The historic five-star Hotel Saratoga is located at the intersection of Paseo del Prado and Dragones in the Cuban capital, in front of the Fuente de la India.

In the 1960s, following the Cuban Revolution, the hotel was nationalized by the new communist government and later became a low-class housing facility, before being closed due to its deplorable conditions.

In 1996, the building was transferred to a newly created joint venture company Hotel Saratoga S.A., co-owned by Habaguanex S.A., the commercial arm of the City Historian's Office, and an international confederation of investors.

The façade of the building was almost entirely destroyed, and parts of it collapsed onto the street, crushing cars and people as well as sending debris flying through the air.

Emergency personnel from Cuba and organizations like the Red Cross worked to excavate the site, locate survivors, and recover bodies.

Messages of support came from such figures as Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican minister of foreign affairs,[11] and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.