A 10-storey hotel building has collapsed in the coastal city of Villa Gesell in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province.
Between seven and nine people, including workers from a construction site allegedly operating without municipal permits at the Dubrovnik hotel, were believed to be inside at the time.
Rescue teams are currently removing the debris to free those trapped, the Villa Gesell authorities noted, adding that the municipality had halted construction work at the site in August of this year.
Emergency services, including firefighters and police, are working on the scene, a statement released by Villa Gesell municipality said.
A drone view shows the remains of the hotel Dubrovnik, after it collapsed in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, in Buenos Aires region, Argentina
Reuters
A drone view shows the remains of the hotel Dubrovnik
Reuters
A drone view shows the remains of the hotel Dubrovnik
Reuters
An image of the hotel from April 2023
Google Maps
A spokesperson from the local council said: "At this time, although it is not possible to speak with any exact details about the collapse, it can be confirmed that the structure in the collapsed part [the rear part] would have been modified illegally and irregularly."
The hotel, which opened in 1986, was undergoing a range of restorations and modifications at the time of the collapse.
