ARGENTINA – One person is reportedly dead and a number of others believed trapped in debris after a hotel collapsed in Argentina. The 10-storey Dubrovnik hotel, in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, collapsed early on Tuesday, said Reuters news agency, quoting the local municipality.

Up to 15 people are believed to have been inside the hotel, which had recently been undergoing renovation. Rescue teams are working at the scene attempting to free those thought to be trapped. Local media report that a man in his 80s died as a result of the incident and one woman has so far been rescued. Local authorities said building work at the hotel had been halted in August on the orders of the municipality, because the renovations were being carried out without the proper permits.

However, neighbours told journalists that work on the building had been continuing in defiance of the suspension order. Argentina’s national security minister, Patricia Bullrich, posted on X that two specialised teams had been sent to the scene, which is in Buenos Aires province.

She said that structural engineers, rescue specialists and a dog team trained in collapsed buildings were attending, as well as personnel equipped with specialist machinery and resources to help the rescue effort. The province’s own security minister, Javier Alonso, told local radio that four bricklayers working on the site had escaped the collapse and had been detained by police. Alonso added that neighbours told him that repairs might have been taking place in the hotel’s basement and that the building then collapsed on itself. (BBC)…[+]

Photo: It’s thought that the 10-storey hotel collapsed on itself in the early hours. (Reuters)