A 10-story hotel has collapsed in Argentina, sparking a search for survivors. As many as nine people were feared trapped under the rubble.
The Dubrovnik hotel building in the coastal city of Villa Gesell in Buenos Aires province collapsed early on Tuesday, the local municipality said in a statement.
Seven to nine people were said to have been inside at the time, including workers from a construction site that was reportedly operating without a municipal permit.
Rescue teams are currently removing rubble to free the prisoners, Villa Gesell authorities noted, adding that the municipality had halted construction work at the site in August this year.
Dramatic aerial photos show a pile of rubble where the building once stood, among other high-rise blocks.
A drone shot shows the remains of the Dubrovnik hotel after it collapsed in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires
Dramatic aerial photos show a pile of rubble where the building once stood, among other high-rise blocks
A photo of the 10-story hotel complex before the collapse early Tuesday morning
The complex is located near the center of the seaside resort and a stone’s throw from the beach.
Hugo Piriz, the city’s fire chief, said they were searching the rubble for “between seven and nine people.”
“Efforts are underway to rescue a woman who says there is someone standing next to her,” he said in an interview with news channel TN.
‘Although it is not possible to speak with exact details about the collapse at this time, it can be confirmed that the structure in the collapsed part [the rear part] would have been changed illegally and irregularly,” the municipal council said.
“The municipality of Villa Gesell asks residents and the media to be careful with the information they spread,” the statement continued.
‘These are key moments in which work is being done to prevent the loss of life.’