The foreign minister tweeted that messages of support for the Cuban people and the families of the victims at this time of affliction have arrived from several parts of the world.

Cuba has received multiple messages of support and condolences from Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, Peru, China, Syria and Argentina, just to mention a few.

In a show of solidarity, several Cuban cultural institutions suspended their presentations, and citizens spontaneously went to donate their blood to support the care of the wounded.

The explosion at the Saratoga Hotel, an emblematic tourist establishment in Havana, occurred on Friday morning, as a tanker truck laden liquefied gas was serving the facilities.

The specialist explained that during the early hours of the morning the rescue forces managed to access the basement of the building and are looking for possible survivors there.

According to Havana Governor Reinaldo Garcia, all the hospitals in the province were mobilized and several medical institutions received thousands of people who went to donate blood.

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