A powerful explosion, reportedly caused by a gas valve, destroyed much of a house located in the popular Esquina de Toyo, at the intersection of Calzada de Diez de Octubre and Calzada de Luyanó, in the Diez de Octubre municipality of Havana.
The incident occurred at noon on Tuesday and was documented in images shared by the Facebook profile NiO Reportando Un Crimen, which obtained exclusive footage of the damages.
According to preliminary reports, a family lost almost all of their belongings as a result of the incident. The shockwave also caused damage to neighboring properties, affecting their residents.
"Allegedly two dead and several injured due to a gas explosion. Not confirmed. So far, there are no further details. The victims have not been identified," wrote Yois Ramos on Facebook.
The Cuban activist Yamilka Lafita (Lara Crofs) also reported on the incident. "An explosion caused by gas is said to have resulted in two fatalities and several injuries very close to the corner of Toyo, in the municipality of Diez de Octubre in the Capital," she stated.
NiO Reporting a Crime did not confirm any fatalities and noted that it is still investigating whether there are any injured individuals. As of the time of this publication, Cuban authorities have not released any official statement regarding the incident.
The released videos show dense smoke, dust, and people evacuating the area in a hurry. In one of the recordings, alarmed shouts can be heard: "Run! Hey! This is going to collapse! This is going to collapse! Run over there!"
The affected building is located at one of the most iconic intersections in southeastern Havana, named after a bakery and grocery store run by the Toyo family, which has been established there since 1832.
The incident occurs amidst recent failures and incidents related to the gas network in the Cuban capital. At the end of September, a fire during repair work on a gas leak at Tulipán and Oeste, in Plaza de la Revolución, left several workers injured.
Days later, a breakdown in the main gas pipeline interrupted service in seven municipalities of Havana, including Diez de Octubre.
On the same day, the Government of Havana reported on the rehabilitation work being carried out on the gas network in Cerro and Centro Habana due to multiple leaks detected in those areas.
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