A 10-storey hotel collapsed in Argentina, resulting in the de*th of one individual and trapping several others beneath the debris.
As firefighters combed through the wreckage, they managed to extract a woman from the debris of the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, a coastal city located 350km south of the capital, Buenos Aires.
Local officials reported that the incident occurred during the early hours of Tuesday, October 29.
Among the individuals believed to be trapped are laborers operating at a construction site that is rumored to be conducting its activities without the necessary municipal permits, according to reports.
However, firefighters were able to rescue an elderly woman alive from the debris, while an 80-year-old man has been killed, local newspaper Pagina 12 reported, quoting provincial security minister Javier Alonso.
Mr. Alonso was quoted as stating that there were no guests at the hotel, but there were workers residing in a different section of the building, constructed in 1986.
More than 300 firefighters, police, and other rescue officials were present at the scene, engaged in a rescue operation that had been underway for over eight hours, as reported by Infobae. The city’s mayor, Gustavo Barrera, issued a warning that the adjacent building was also at risk of collapse.
Local officials accused on Tuesday, October 29, of discovering and stopping unauthorized construction work that had been taking place inside the building without the necessary permits.
A prosecutor has initiated an investigation to uncover the cause of the collapse. However, the Villa Gesell municipality stated in a press release that the hotel was undergoing renovations without the proper permits.
Infobae also reported that Mr. Alonso mentioned that the courts had issued arrest warrants for four individuals in relation to the collapse of the hotel.
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