Video shows the deadly explosion that destroyed a luxury hotel in Havana
By Michelle Marchante and
Nora Gámez Torres
Video and images surfaced Friday showing the aftermath of an explosion that destroyed a luxury five-star hotel in Havana that left at least 18 people dead.
Photos of the extensive damage show parts of Hotel Saratoga missing its walls and windows, with debris scattered along the ground. A store on the ground floor was reduced to rubble. One photo shows three cars, two that appear to be taxis, that were struck by falling debris. One of the taxi’s is partially buried in the rubble.
Debris is scattered after an explosion destroyed the Hotel Saratoga, in Havana, Cuba May 6, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini ALEXANDRE MENEGHINI REUTERS
In one video posted online, plumes of thick smoke can be seen around the hotel, quickly covering the street in front.
“Ay, Dios mío!” a woman can be heard saying in the video. That means “Oh My God.”
Another video shows people walking around the area of the destroyed hotel, which is surrounded by police tape, as search-and-rescue operations continue.
The hotel is still standing. Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears it was a gas explosion.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 2:36 PM.
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
