Havana toll rises

Search crews with dogs yesterday hunted through the ruins of a luxury hotel in Cuba’s capital for survivors of a devastating explosion while officials raised the number of known dead to 31. The Hotel Saratoga, a fivestar 96-room hotel in Old Havana, was preparing to reopen after being closed for two years when an apparent gas leak ignited, blowing the outer walls into the busy, midmorning streets just a block from the country’s Capitol building on Saturday. Cuban officials yesterday raised the known death toll to 31 from 27 even as crews continued to search for victims buried beneath piles of shattered concrete. Several nearby structures also were damaged, including the historic Marti Theatre and the Calvary Baptist Church headquarters. The Health Ministry said 84 people had been injured in the explosion. The dead included four minors, a pregnant woman and a Spanish tourist.