Ten-storey hotel collapse in Argentina leaves one dead and several trapped

The building collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, local officials said.

Among those suspected to be trapped are workers from a construction site allegedly operating without municipal permits at the Dubrovnik hotel, according to reports.

Firefighters managed to rescue an elderly woman from the rubble alive, while an 80-year-old man has been killed, local newspaper Pagina 12 reported, citing provincial security minister Javier Alonso.

Mr Alonso was quoted as saying that there were no guests in the hotel, but there were workers staying in another part of the building, which was built in 1986.

More than 300 firefighters, police and other rescue officials were at the scene, in a rescue operation already ongoing for more than eight hours, online outlet Infobae reported, citing the city’s mayor Gustavo Barrera as warning that the adjacent building is also at risk of collapse.

The Independent has approached the security ministry for more information.

Local officials alleged on Tuesday that they had detected and halted unauthorised construction work that was being carried out inside the building without proper clearance back in August.

A prosecutor has 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.

Infobae cited Mr Alonso as saying that the courts had ordered the arrest of four people in connection with the hotel’s collapse.

Andy Gregory, Namita Singh