Ten-story hotel fatally collapses on coast of Argentina

TheDubrovnik Hotel in the coastal city of Villa Gesell collapsed Tuesday morning as it was undergoing renovations. Emergency workers pulled one woman alive from the debris while an 80-year-old man died in the collapse, the minister of security for the province of Buenos Aires told local media. Between seven and nine people remained trapped inside the rubble, Javier Alonso said in the Tuesday interview. Two specialized teams responded to assist with rescue operations, Argentina’s National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich wrote on social media.

What caused the collapse? Officials in August ordered construction work at the hotel to stop because the hotel did not have the proper permits, according to local authorities. Neighbors told reporters that work on the building had continued despite the suspension order. Authorities arrested four bricklayers working at the hotel who had escaped the collapse, Alonso said.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about the death of a former One Direction band member at a different hotel in Argentina.