Many Trapped As 10-Storey Hotel Collapses In Argentina

Rescue teams in Argentina are urgently working to reach individuals trapped beneath the rubble of the Dubrovnik hotel, which collapsed early Tuesday morning, claiming at least one life.

The 10-story hotel, located in the coastal city of Villa Gesell, came down unexpectedly, with one local describing the aftermath as resembling a “horror movie.” Reports indicate that up to 15 people may have been inside the hotel at the time of the collapse, which was undergoing renovations.

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Rescue workers managed to locate the body of a man in his 80s within the debris, while one woman has been successfully rescued.

Local officials revealed that construction work on the hotel had been suspended in August due to the lack of proper permits. However, neighbours reported that renovations continued despite the order to halt.

Monica Mino, a resident living adjacent to the hotel, recounted the chaos, saying, “The building transformed into a cloud of dust, and we couldn’t see anything. It felt like an earthquake… it’s like a horror movie we’re living through,” she told Reuters.

Argentina’s national security minister, Patricia Bullrich, announced on social media platform X that specialized teams had been dispatched to the site in Buenos Aires province. These teams included structural engineers, rescue specialists, and canine units trained to operate in collapsed structures, along with personnel equipped with advanced machinery to aid the rescue operations.

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Javier Alonso, the province’s security minister, informed local radio that four bricklayers who were working on the site managed to escape the collapse and have since been detained by the police. He also noted that neighbors indicated repairs may have been occurring in the hotel’s basement prior to its collapse.

Photographs from the scene reveal significant damage to nearby buildings caused by falling debris.

Villa Gesell, a popular coastal tourist destination, features numerous hotels, resorts, and beaches. The Dubrovnik hotel is situated along Avenue 1, just a five-minute walk from the beach.