A hotel collapses in Argentina and leaves 1 dead and several trapped

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A 10-story hotel under renovation in Argentina collapsed Tuesday, leaving one person dead and at least seven trapped in the debris, authorities said.

Firefighters searching for survivors rescued a woman who was alive from the rubble of the Dubrovnik Hotel in Villa Gesell, a coastal city 217 miles (350 km) south of the capital Buenos Aires.

A prosecutor opened an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse, but Villa Gesell’s municipality said in a press release that the hotel was undergoing a renovation without the proper permits.

Javier Alonso, security minister for the Buenos Aires’ province, told journalists that an 80-year-old man died in the collapse and a woman was taken alive from the debris. He added that between seven and nine people, presumably masons working on the hotel’s restoration, remain trapped.

Rescue team members began removing the rubble by hand while waiting for a crane and some engineers to evaluate the area.