A dozen people are still missing, and finding them is currently a priority for firefighters and first respondents who are working tirelessly in the rubble of this capital's Saratoga hotel.
Havana, Cuba.- According to families' claims, 12 or 13 people might be still trapped inside the hotel after the explosion on May 6 (Friday), Javier Martínez, a leader of the Provincial Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC), said.
The relatives of the missing people are receiving information and being taken care of at the central command set up at Palacio de la Computación (Computing Palace), across from Parque de La Fraternidad and the Saratoga.
Meanwhile, excavations and debris extraction continue, and the conditions of the infrastructure to have access to the pool, which is on the top floor, are being assessed. The PCC official told the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (Cuban News Agency), that the families who lived in damaged buildings in the disaster area have been accommodated at the Villa Panamericana or evacuated to the houses of their relatives.
Students from the Concepción Arenal elementary school, which was damaged by the explosion, have begun to attend classes again on Monday at other facilities set up for this purpose.
Another three dead bodies were recovered from the Hotel Saratoga blast site in the few last hours, which brought the number of deaths to 34.
PETS RESCUED IN CUBA FROM RUINS OF THE SARATOGA HOTEL
Cuban rescue forces rescued the eve two pet animals alive from the rubble, victims of the explosion that occurred at the Saratoga hotel in this capital last Friday.
According to local media reports, these were puppies identified as Sultan and Chuza, who were saved in the middle of the ruins of a building adjoining the tourist facility.
Arnaldo Álvarez, a member of the Cuban Red Cross, explained the pets received first aid and have already coordinated with animal protection services to guarantee their attention.
“They are very upset and stressed, but physically they have no damage”, he specified.
Last Friday, apparently as the result of a gas leak, an explosion caused the partial 
collapse of the hotel and affected neighboring residential buildings, a primary school, a church, and the Martí theater.
Since the explosion Friday morning, specialized forces, including the Fire Department, have opened their way to help find possible survivors or their bodies, in a mission that requires great care and security measures due to the danger of the structure collapsing, according to specialists.
All this, with the help of a canine brigade, whose members are the first to enter the rubble to detect if there is a body and then heavy load teams are used to move the ruins.
An emblematic case of rescue dogs in Cuba is Rocky, considered a star of the canine unit of the National Special Brigade, located in Havana.
The former participated in multiple operations and internationalist missions, thanks to his sense of smell capable of identifying a body that is trapped in the rubble or buried underground to a depth of between six and seven meters.
On this day, the canine brigade managed to enter the basement of the Saratoga, where it is believed there are people. (PL)
