Rescuers in Cuba hotel blast hold hope of survivors as death toll climbs

Emergency personnel walks in front of the Saratoga Hotel two days after it suffered an explosion, in Havana, Cuba May 8, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban rescue workers combed through vast 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.