New gas explosion in old Havana injures three

A gas explosion in Havana injured three people on Wednesday in the same neighbourhood as a similar blast that left 44 dead and destroyed an iconic hotel last week, authorities said.

The victims were a father and son and a neighbour, local official Yamila Velazquez told state television.

“The child’s father had flipped the switch and there was an explosion. A neighbour suffered injuries to her legs and arms,” Velazquez said, adding that the three victims were taken to a hospital by neighbours while the fire brigade cut off the neighbourhood’s gas supply.

The latest explosion comes just five days after a much more powerful one at the Saratoga hotel, just 800 meters (yards) away in Havana’s old quarter, that killed 44 and injured 54.

Rescuers found another body in the rubble at that hotel Wednesday evening, bringing the death toll up to 44 there.

They are continuing to search through rubble at the hotel, whose first four floors were gutted by the explosion, which an official said happened while a gas tank was being refilled by a tanker truck.

Authorities said only one person remained unaccounted for by Wednesday night and that the search continued “uninterrupted.”

The blast tore off large parts of the facade, blew out windows and destroyed cars parked outside the hotel.