Hotel collapse in Argentina leaves one person dead and several trapped

A 10-storey hotel under renovation in Argentina has collapsed, leaving one person dead and at least seven trapped in the debris, authorities said.

Firefighters searching for survivors rescued a woman who was alive from the rubble of the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, a coastal city 217 miles south of the capital Buenos Aires.

A prosecutor opened an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse, but Villa Gesell’s municipality said in a press release that the hotel was undergoing a renovation without the proper permits.

Police block a street leading to the Dubrovnik Hotel where firefighters and rescuers work to find survivors after the hotel collapsed, in Villa Gesell, Argentina
Police block a street leading to the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, Argentina (Christian Heit/AP)

He added that between seven and nine people, presumably masons working on the hotel’s restoration, remain trapped.

Rescue team members began removing the rubble by hand while waiting for a crane and some engineers to evaluate the area.

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