Deadly Blast At Cuban Hotel Kills 22 People

A fatal explosion has hit a well-known hotel in downtown Havana, injuring dozens and killing at least 22 people.

The powerful eruption on Saturday (AEST) was reportedly caused by gas explosion which blew away the outer walls if five-star hotel in the heart of Cuba’s capital.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits

According to the BBC News, a gas tanker parked outside the Saratoga Hotel igniting, was the cause of the explosion, destroying several floors of the building.

A pregnant woman and a child were among those killed, according to the latest Twitter post by Cuba's presidency.

"It has not been a bomb or an attack. It is a tragic accident," Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in an earlier tweet, after visiting the site.

No tourists were staying at Havana's 96-room Hotel Saratoga, as it was undergoing renovations.

Roberto Enrique Calzadilla, a representative of the military-run company that operates many of the country’s hotels, said that the workers on site making final preparations for its reopening on Tuesday.

“The workers were ... making repairs and doing all the work to open the property and in the morning, they were resupplying the gas and it seems some accident caused an explosion,” he said on state television.

Currently 74 people have been treated in hospital from the blast, however numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue to look for people trapped under the debris of the 19th century structure.

A school located behind the hotel was reportedly unaffected, with local officials confirming the children were safely evacuated.

Once frequented by Madonna, Beyoncé, Mick Jagger and Rihanna, the hotel had recently lost some of its glamour against the opening of fancy new hotels in Havana.

Get the latest breaking news from SCA newsrooms around Australia. Short, simple and everything you need to know.