Hotel collapse in Argentina: an elderly man died, dozens are missing after a hotel collapsed in the seaside resort of Villa Hesel

An elderly man was killed and a dozen people are missing after a 10-story hotel building collapsed in the Argentine seaside resort of Villa Hesel on Tuesday, local authorities and media reported.

“The incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. when a 10-story building that housed the Dubrovnik Hotel collapsed,” the municipality of Villa Hesel, 350 kilometers south of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast, said in a statement.

Javier Alonso, the provincial security minister, said rescuers found the body of an 89-year-old man, and an injured woman was taken to hospital.

About 300 rescuers, using drones and service dogs, searched for survivors under the rubble.

Alonso told reporters that “nine to 11 people” could be in the building at the time, an estimate also provided by the city’s mayor, Gustavo Barrera.

The cause of the collapse of the building is still unknown.

The municipality said that the work on the hotel was carried out “undercover” and that the authorities had already stopped it in August.

The foreman and three masons were detained for questioning.