Powerful blast at Havana hotel kills at least 8, injures 40

HAVANA (AP) — A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak has blown away outer walls from a five-star hotel in the heart of Cuba’s capital, killing at least eight people and injuring 40.

Havana Gov. Reinaldo García Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that no tourists had been staying at the 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations.

Officials say about a dozen people are missing and that searchers are hunting for people who may be trapped. An elementary school next door was evacuated after the blast, with no reports of student injuries.

The blast happened as Cuba tries to revive its important tourism sector.