“The Caribbean Community expresses its deepest condolences to the Government and people of Cuba for the loss of life due to the accident at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana,” the text highlights.

Caricom, it continues, extends its condolences to the families of the deceased in this tragic event and wishes a speedy and full recovery to the injured.

Finally, the regional integration mechanism assured confidence in the capacity of Cubans to recover, while reaffirming its solidarity with the government and people of this Caribbean nation.

Last Friday morning, an explosion shook the Saratoga Hotel due to a gas leak that collapsed the front and side facades of the facility and caused damages to continuous buildings. According to official data from the Cuban Public Health Ministry, so far 35 fatalities have been identified in connection with the incident and 89 injured with varying degrees of severity.

The search and recovery of possible survivors and corpses continues.

ef/abo/car/avs