alive, there s people alive! in the rubble another says, there s one, there s one! bystanders, police, firefighters began climbing over concrete and glass in the frantic search for survivors. cuban authorities say they believe the massive explosion at havana s saratoga hotel was caused by a gas leak nbc news ed augustin lives around the corner from the hotel. i was working at home i heard this massive explosion, rushed out onto the terrace, and the first thing i saw were plumes of smoke above havana s building my first thought, there d been some sort of attack. reporter: havana s governor reports the hotel chef fled the kitchen moments before the explosion to warn that there was a smell of gas from a truck delivering canisters the chef miraculously survived the $700 a night hotel saratoga was just four days from reopening. inside when it blew up, hotel and construction workers other victims outside
A strong explosion hit a well-known hotel in downtown Havana on Friday, tearing a gash several floors high into the side of the building and injuring at
announcer: this is “nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening terrifying images coming out of cuba tonight. a five-star hotel in downtown havana ripped by a massive and deadly explosion the death toll rising as rescuers search for the missing. dozens of injured were rushed to hospitals. cellphone video capturing the moment of the explosion as the saratoga hotel was quickly engulfed in smoke and dust its facade crumbled by the blast. cuban authorities tonight blaming the blast on a gas leak. the hotel once frequented by well heeled tourists and celebrities including some americans was closed for renovation. kerry sanders now with late developments. reporter: moments after the explosion, a witness began recording as the cloud of dust from the blast enveloped the streets of old havana. a witness points and yells, there s people