Dogs continue search

Havana: Search crews with dogs hunted through the ruins of a luxury hotel in Cuba’s capital yesterday for survivors of a devastating explosion while officials raised the number of known dead to 30.

The Hotel Saratoga, a fivestar 96room 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.

Several nearby structures also were damaged, and the Health Ministry said 84 people had been injured. The dead included four minors, a pregnant woman and a Spanish tourist, whose companion was seriously injured. — AP