A pregnant woman who was expecting her second child was among at least 31 people who were killed in the alleged gas leak explosion that ripped through an iconic five-star hotel in Cuba on Friday.
The Health Ministry confirmed the death of Yanisleidy Morales Almenteros, 34, as rescue workers with dogs searched through the rubble for people still missing at the Hotel Saratoga in La Habana on Sunday.
Sandra González told Univision that she ran into Morales Almenteros as they were about to leave their homes for work Friday morning.
‘I gave her a kiss. I told her we would see each other in the afternoon,’ she said. ‘She leaves behind a five-year-old child, a boy.’
Yanisleidy Morales Almenteros was killed in the alleged gas leak explosion at the Hotel Saratoga in Cuba on Friday. The blast left 31 people dead, including four children, the youngest a 10-year-old boy
Rescue workers continued the search for people missing at the Hotel Saratoga on Sunday
Firefighters and rescue workers remove debris from the ruins of the Saratoga Hotel in La Habana, Cuba
Health Ministry also identified 29-year-old Spanish tourist, Cristina López-Cerón Ugarte, among the victims who were killed in the blast just a block away from the Capitol building.
López-Cerón Ugarte and her boyfriend,
The Health Ministry said that 54 people were injured and 24 remain hospitalized.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blast at the 96-room hotel owned by Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA. A large crane was used Saturday to remove the charred gas tanker.
The explosion caused damage to other nearby building, including the historic Marti Theater and the Calvary Baptist Church.
The death toll from an accidental explosion at a luxury hotel in central Havana rose to 31 on Sunday
Emergency personnel work at the Hotel Saratoga Hotel after Friday’s explosion, which killed 31 people
Firefighters and rescue workers use sniffer dogs in the search for bodies at the Hotel Saratoga
The church said on its Facebook page that the building suffered ‘significant structural damage, with several collapsed or cracked walls and columns (and) the ceiling partially collapsed.’ None of the church work workers were injured.
The Hotel Saratoga has been shut down for two years and was scheduled to open its doors Tuesday.
Some of the victims were buried during the weekend while other families were searching for the missing loved ones and demanding answers from the government.
Angela Acosta told The Associated Press her relatives still haven’t gotten any news regarding Maria de la Concepción Alard, who lived at an apartment next to the hotel.
‘We are hoping that something will be known about my cousins’s mother,’ Acosta said.
Source: Daily Mail
