The Premier of Nevis the Hon. Mark Brantley has express his sadness at the situation in Cuba surrounding a massive explosion at a hotel in downtown Havana late last week.

He mentioned on social media, “I express my deep sadness at the loss of life and injuries caused by the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana…

Cuba is our beloved sister and when they suffer, we suffer. My deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and to the Cuban government and people.”

The death toll from the historic Hotel Saratoga has risen to 35, a Cuban official said, as rescue workers pulled four more bodies from the rubble.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who visited the hotel shortly after the explosion on Friday morning, said last week that the authorities believed the blast was caused by a gas leak.