REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, HAVANA -- At least 14 people have been detained in Havana on suspicion of robbery and looting shops as Hurricane Irma lashed the island last week, local press reported on Sunday.

"We are investigating...10 legal cases against 14 people accused of robbery in these establishments. All were detained on charges of theft, violent robbery and embezzlement," Havana's chief prosecutor, Dixan Fuentes, told the Juventud Rebelde daily.

According to Fuentes, those arrested include officials and state workers.

Fuentes mentioned that those arrested would have access to a lawyer and would be allowed to stay in touch with their families. Any punishment would take into account their personal details, such as age and any criminal history.

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"This procedure will have all the guarantees established in the law, for it to happen in a short time, allowing for a correct response to the punishable act and for the citizens to answer more quickly for these (acts)," continued the prosecutor.

Havana, which suffered serious flooding from Irma, saw a number of shops and service stations looted near the emblematic seafront avenue, known as the Malecon.

Houses which were partially or totally damaged were also looted, while "unscrupulous elements" sold "missing products, such as water and energy," said the prosecutor-general of Cuba in a statement.

Irma lashed Cuba's northern coast last weekend and left at least 10 dead alongside severe material

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