ARTICLE
OF HORROR AND PAIN
BY: JULIO A. LARRAMENDI
Mid-morning of May 6. A very strong boom is heard in much of the city. I'm working with my friend Luis Diaz, taking photos of his collection, and someone tells us of an explosion at the Saratoga hotel, just a few blocks away.
When I arrive, a thick column of smoke rises from the side of the premises and debris covers much of the surrounding streets. Numerous people approach, while the children of the nearby school are already being evacuated. The Police begin to cordon off the roads to the disaster and the howling of the approaching ambulances is heard.
They tell me that the first to help the wounded were bystanders and neighbors, townspeople willing to help. Shortly after the firefighters, rescuers and the Red Cross arrived. The most widespread comment was that the explosion occurred while a liquefied gas tanker truck was servicing the hotel, and certainly, from one side it confirms this type of transport, with the cabin crushed by debris.
The Saratoga appears devastated on two full floors and the others partially. The interiors of what until recently were luxury rooms are on view. Two adjoining buildings show signs of destruction to varying degrees. The Martí theater and the El Calvario Baptist church were also hit by the blast wave. The Concepción Arenal elementary school, in front of the hotel, is not as affected.
The first official parts count four dead and twenty wounded, treated in nearby hospitals. There must be many more, since it is a very busy area, a must to go to Old Havana, Centro Habana and Paseo del Prado. Social networks call for blood donations, and thousands of Havanans crowd specialized laboratories; It is his way of accompanying the injured and their families.
The difficult work of removing debris begins and try to find those who were trapped, dead or alive. Without interruption, almost without rest, a large team of men and women is clearing meter by meter the access to the center of the building, first, and then to the basement and sub-basement, where several people worked with a view to the next reopening of the facility, which it would happen only four days later. Reports are constantly made about the progress of the work... and the increase in deaths and injuries. Relatives, friends, co-workers of the disappeared remain in the surroundings, feeding a last hope of survival.
Six days after the explosion, the last body is found and the final figures put the fatalities at 46. Official mourning is decreed on May 13 and 14, and a vigil is organized in front of the hotel.
Sad and silent, relatives, authorities and anyone who wanted to pay tribute pass by. With the remains of the Saratoga illuminated by the soft light of sunset as a backdrop, the scenes of pain of a people overwhelmed by the loss of so many children are repeated.
When I arrive, a thick column of smoke rises from the side of the premises and debris covers much of the surrounding streets. Numerous people approach, while the children of the nearby school are already being evacuated. The Police begin to cordon off the roads to the disaster and the howling of the approaching ambulances is heard.
They tell me that the first to help the wounded were bystanders and neighbors, townspeople willing to help. Shortly after the firefighters, rescuers and the Red Cross arrived. The most widespread comment was that the explosion occurred while a liquefied gas tanker truck was servicing the hotel, and certainly, from one side it confirms this type of transport, with the cabin crushed by debris.
The Saratoga appears devastated on two full floors and the others partially. The interiors of what until recently were luxury rooms are on view. Two adjoining buildings show signs of destruction to varying degrees. The Martí theater and the El Calvario Baptist church were also hit by the blast wave. The Concepción Arenal elementary school, in front of the hotel, is not as affected.
The first official parts count four dead and twenty wounded, treated in nearby hospitals. There must be many more, since it is a very busy area, a must to go to Old Havana, Centro Habana and Paseo del Prado. Social networks call for blood donations, and thousands of Havanans crowd specialized laboratories; It is his way of accompanying the injured and their families.
The difficult work of removing debris begins and try to find those who were trapped, dead or alive. Without interruption, almost without rest, a large team of men and women is clearing meter by meter the access to the center of the building, first, and then to the basement and sub-basement, where several people worked with a view to the next reopening of the facility, which it would happen only four days later. Reports are constantly made about the progress of the work... and the increase in deaths and injuries. Relatives, friends, co-workers of the disappeared remain in the surroundings, feeding a last hope of survival.
Six days after the explosion, the last body is found and the final figures put the fatalities at 46. Official mourning is decreed on May 13 and 14, and a vigil is organized in front of the hotel.
Sad and silent, relatives, authorities and anyone who wanted to pay tribute pass by. With the remains of the Saratoga illuminated by the soft light of sunset as a backdrop, the scenes of pain of a people overwhelmed by the loss of so many children are repeated.
