Rescuers at Cuban hotel blast hold out hope for survivors as death toll climbs

HAVANA — Cuban rescue workers combed through piles of rubble from the Hotel Saratoga in the early hours of Monday, uncovering four more bodies overnight after the hotel was hit by an explosion and bringing the death toll to at least 31, a local official said.

The massive blast on Friday at the five-star hotel, a block from the iconic capitol building in a renovated area of historic Havana, blew the side off the hotel and collapsed its lower floors, leaving dozens trapped, killed or injured. Officials say a gas leak caused the explosion.

The death toll is now at least 31. Javier Martinez, a Havana city official, told reporters on Monday morning that the bodies of four hotel workers were discovered overnight.

“There remains a group of … 12, 13 people who are still missing,” Martinez said. “The priority continues to be to try to find survivors and to continue advancing in the search for bodies as well.”

Local authorities said 85 people were injured in the blast. Four of the dead were children, they said. One of the dead was a Spanish tourist.