A ten-storey hotel has collapsed in Argentina sparking a search for survivors, with as many as nine people feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The Dubrovnik hotel building collapsed early on Tuesday in the coastal city of Villa Gesell in the province of Buenos Aires, the local municipality said in a statement.
Between seven and nine people, including workers from a construction site allegedly operating without municipal permits, were believed to be inside at the time, it said.
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.
Dramatic aerial pictures show a pile of rubble where the building stood amongst other high rise blocks.
A drone view shows the remains of the hotel Dubrovnik after it collapsed in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires
Dramatic aerial pictures show a pile of rubble where the building stood amongst other high rise blocks
A picture of the ten-storey hotel complex before the collapse early on Tuesday morning
The complex is located near the centre of the seaside town and a stone’s throw from its beach.
Hugo Piriz, the town’s Fire Chief, said they were searching for ‘between 7 and 9 people’ in the rubble.
‘Work is underway to rescue a woman who says there is another person next to her,’ he said in an interview with news channel TN.
‘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 local council said.
‘The municipality of Villa Gesell requests that residents and the media be cautious with any information they may circulate,’ the statement went on.
‘These are key moments in which work is being done to prevent the loss of human lives.’
