A ten-story building in Argentina that functioned as an aparthotel in Villa Gessell, province of Buenos Airescollapsed for reasons still unknown. So far, it has not been confirmed whether or how many victims there are, although firefighters are searching the rubble.
The head of the rescue operation, Hugo Piriz, reported that firefighters have managed to establish contact with a woman trapped under the rubble, who mentioned that she is with another person. Rescuers are working to get them out of the situation, according to the newspaper Perfil.
Collapse of a building in Argentina
The collapse of the Dubrovnik Aparthotel took place after midnight.
The city’s mayor, Gustavo Barrera, confirmed that there are people trapped in the rubble, although they have not yet been able to determine how many or their health status.
Nearly a hundred firefighters and emergency personnel, including some from neighboring cities such as Madariaga and Pinamar, are working at the scene.
We are committed to the rescue. The building had approved plans and had planning permission for an elevator for the front of the property. “What fell was the bottom and around ten floors,” said the mayor.
Barrera noted that the collapse affected an adjacent home, which means that some of the people being searched in the rubble could be residents of adjacent apartments.
We do not have certain information that there were people living in the apartment. We estimate there would be about six or seven people. And in the building next door two or three more people,” the mayor specified.
Barrera mentioned that he is in communication with provincial government officials, including the Minister of Health and the Buenos Aires Minister of Security, Javier Alonso, who is at the scene of the events.
The head of the operation, Hugo Piriz, indicated that they were looking for between eight and nine people who were on the first three floors of the hotel. “Approximately 80% of the building collapsed,” he added. The first images showed that the main tower of the aparthotel had completely collapsed. So far, firefighters have not been able to rescue anyone.
(EFE)
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