CNN
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A 10-story hotel collapses in Argentina, killing one man and leaving up to nine people missing.
Dubrovnik’s 10-story hotel in the city of Villa Gessel, on the Atlantic coast about 230 miles (370 kilometers) from the capital Buenos Aires, collapsed early Tuesday, city officials said.
Buenos Aires state security minister Javier Alonso told the TN news channel that the victim was believed to be an 80-year-old man who lived in a building next to the collapsed hotel.
Alonso added that his partner was rescued, but authorities were unsure whether the couple’s son was at the scene.
Firefighters, paramedics and police were working to remove debris to reach people believed to be buried.
The statement said the missing included workers at the construction site of the hotel, which apparently operated “in secret and without following city regulations.”
Buildings around the hotel were severely affected by the incident, according to footage from the scene obtained by CNN. It is believed that the falling debris broke through the wall of a nearby property, causing extensive damage.
Huge piles of rubble, crumpled metal and other debris could also be seen in the footage. As the camera pans around, we see the entire hotel floor sagging diagonally and collapsing onto the floor below.
CNN is attempting to contact building officials for further information.
Opened in 1986, the hotel has undergone various restorations and renovations.
A statement from the city said work at the site had already been “discovered and ceased” in August due to lack of proper permits.
Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullulich said in a post on X that a team of federal police experts, including structural engineers and a canine unit, had been mobilized to respond to the hotel collapse.
“The first team includes structural engineers, rescue specialists (USAR), operational and incident command system personnel, HAZMAT, and a canine team trained in collapsed structures,” she wrote, adding that the second team It added that it would provide “logistical and operational support.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Michael Rios and Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this report.
