A hotel collapsed in Argentina, 1 person died and several were trapped

A view of the wreckage of the partially destroyed Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Hesel, Argentina, on October 29. (AP)

Mexico City, Oct. 30 (AP): A 10-story hotel under renovation in Argentina collapsed Tuesday, killing one person and trapping at least seven others, authorities said. Firefighters searching for survivors rescued a woman alive from the rubble of the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Hesel, a coastal town 217 miles (350 km) south of the capital, Buenos Aires.

The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse, but the municipality of Villa Hezell said in a press release that the hotel was being renovated without the proper permits.

Javier Alonso, the security minister of the province of Buenos Aires, told reporters that an 80-year-old man died in the collapse, and a woman was pulled alive from the rubble. He added that seven to nine people remain trapped, probably masons working on the restoration of the hotel. Rescue team members began clearing the rubble by hand while waiting for a crane and several engineers to assess the area.