In Argentina, a 10-story hotel collapsed, killing one person and trapping numerous others in the wreckage.
In Villa Gesell, a seaside community 350 kilometres south of the capital Buenos Aires, firefighters looking for survivors pulled a woman from the wreckage of the Dubrovnik Hotel.
The building collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, October 29, local officials said.
Workers from a construction site who are reportedly working at the Dubrovnik hotel without municipal authorisation are among those who are thought to be trapped.
An 80-year-old man has been killed, according to local daily Pagina 12, which quoted regional security minister Javier Alonso, while firefighters were able to save an elderly woman from the wreckage alive.
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.
On Tuesday, 29 October, local officials said that they had discovered and stopped unlawful construction work being done within the building without the required authorisation back in August.
The municipality of Villa Gesell stated in a press statement that the hotel was renovating without the required permissions, but a prosecutor has launched an investigation to find out what caused the collapse.
