At least eight people were killed after a massive explosion decimated a hotel in Havana, Cuba. The blast ripped open the facade of the five-story Hotel Saratoga, which sits across the street from Cuba's National Capitol Building in the Old Havana neighborhood.
Officials said that at least 30 people had to be hospitalized but did not provide any information about their condition. At least a dozen people remain missing, and rescue crews are searching the rubble, looking for anybody who may be trapped.
Authorities said that a preliminary investigation suggests the explosion was accidental. According to the New York Times, the blast may have been trigged while liquefied gas was being moved from a truck.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez visited the site of the explosion and also met with some of the injured victims at the hospital.
The hotel was a popular tourist destination but has been closed for over two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was planning to reopen on May 10.
A nearby school was also damaged in the blast. A teacher who works at the school told the Times that the explosion blew out the windows, sending shards of glass flying across the classroom and wounding at least three children.