Díaz-Canel offers update on Saratoga explosion

HAVANA, Cuba, May 6 (ACN) Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel made statements to a presidential media team after concluding a meeting called by the government at the Palace of the Revolution to update on the situation associated with the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel.

The President assured that they are focused on the attention to the people, to the relatives of the deceased and also to those who are hospitalized.

The work of the health institutions and rescue and salvage teams has been immediate, he said, according to the President's Twitter account.

The families whose homes were affected, he said, are being moved to safe places while recovery actions are being carried out.

According to Díaz-Canel, work continues to assess the state of the hotel's structures and the surrounding buildings.

The children of the elementary school that was affected will be relocated to other educational institutions in the area, which will allow them to attend classrooms on Monday, he said.

He highlighted the sense of responsibility and sensitivity of the leaders, who immediately went to the scene, and acknowledged the immediate support of the people, who mobilized to contribute with blood donations.

Díaz-Canel expressed his gratitude for the solidarity shown by several friendly countries in the wake of the unfortunate accident.

According to preliminary data, 18 people died, among them a pregnant woman and a child.

The meeting was led by the Cuban President and was also attended by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, several ministers and authorities of Havana