Hotel collapsed in Argentina, 1 person died, many people were trapped

A view of the debris of the partially collapsed Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, Argentina, on October 29. (AP)

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 30, (AP): A 10-story hotel under renovation in Argentina collapsed on Tuesday, killing one person and trapping at least seven people under the rubble, authorities said. Firefighters searching for survivors rescued a woman who survived from the rubble of the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, a coastal city 350 km south of the capital Buenos Aires.

The prosecutor launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse, but the municipality of Villa Gesell said in a press release that the hotel was being renovated without the necessary permits.

Buenos Aires province’s security minister, Javier Alonso, told reporters that an 80-year-old man died in the collapse and a woman was pulled alive from the rubble. He added that seven to nine people, estimated to be masons working on the restoration of the hotel, were trapped. Rescue team members began removing debris by hand while waiting for a crane and some engineers to assess the area.