Villa Gesell, Argentina - October 29, 2024 A ten-story hotel collapsed in the Buenos Aires Province coastal town of Villa Gesell in the early hours of Tuesday. An elderly man’s body was recovered from the debris, and a woman has been found alive and taken to hospital. The exact toll of the accident is unknown, but authorities estimate seven to nine people are still missing. In addition to the hotel, an adjacent house suffered extensive damage. Aerial photos show that the house was virtually cut in half. The people staying at the Dubrovnik Hotel are believed to be builders who had been hired for informal construction work at the back of the building, where the collapse began, according to a press release on the Villa Gesell municipality website. The construction work had not been authorized by the local authorities and did not meet municipal guidelines. The municipality had detected the works were being done and ordered the owners to stop them in August. However, they continued to carry out other authorized works, the release added. The owner of the hotel, her nephew, and another woman may be among those trapped under the debris, a former hotel worker and friend of the owner told TV channel C5N.