Police and Civil Protection personnel from Río Negro continued this Tuesday with the search for two people who were staying at the Bustillo hotel in San Carlos de Bariloche, affected by an avalanche of mud and stones that caused the death of a Uruguayan tourist and injuries to three other people, according to official sources.
Prosecutor Betiana Cendón reported that the group of people affected were part of the same family, who had arrived on Monday morning at the hotel that is part of the Villa Huinid complex, located at kilometer 2,500 of Avenida de los Pioneros.
It is not ruled out that the couple sought had not been inside the hotel complex at the time the avalanche occurred, so the search was extended to the entire city.
“They are being searched, we hope that this can be clarified quickly. There was talk that perhaps they were people who had traveled to another nearby destination. Today the intense search for these two people will continue”indicated the provincial Minister of Tourism, Martha Vélez.
Meanwhile, three other people were injured and were referred to local health centers, where “they are being treated and are in stable condition at the moment,” reported the Rio Negro Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident happened shortly before 7:00 p.m., when a sloping area collapsed – where earthworks had been made – between the Pioneros and Bustillo hotels, both of the Villa Huinid complex.
“The avalanche dragged pine trees 30 meters high”said the undersecretary of Civil Protection of Bariloche, Patricia Díaz, in radio statements reproduced by the local newspaper El Cordillerano.
“At 7:15 a.m. they called reporting that there was a collapsed structure and it was actually a landslide between the Pioneros hotel and El Bustillo. The passengers were still in the hotel, people were evacuated to the Pioneros hotel. In those circumstances, the Melipal Fire Department was already there and they took out two passengers, in another room there was one more woman and a passenger who was later confirmed to have died,” the official said.
“At 7:15 a.m. they called reporting that there was a collapsed structure and it was actually a landslide between the Pioneros hotel and El Bustillo. The passengers were still in the hotel, people were evacuated to the Pioneros hotel”Patricia Diaz, Civil Protection
The deceased man was from Uruguay and was staying in one of the rooms on the first floor of the hotel. Official sources quoted by the local newspaper confirmed that the victim was with his family, on vacation, when they were surprised by the avalanche.
As he explained, Díaz asked the Federal Police for the assistance of three search dogs: “The three dogs worked and detected the deceased person at the scene. We need them to look for two passengers who hopefully have gone out for a ride and who are in El Bolsón, “he continued.
Within the framework of the investigation, the Operational Unit of the Public Prosecutor’s Office carried out a photographic survey of the land this Tuesday morning using a drone. Hotel security camera footage was inspected and testimonials were taken from passengers and employees.
There was dirt “from the floor to the ceiling of the rooms”Betiana Cendón, prosecutor
Prosecutor Cendón, who visited the hotel, declared that the place was found with earth “from the floor to the ceiling of the rooms.”
“The visual situation was very serious,” he stressed in dialogue with Radio Seis
The official said that “the risk remains high” and specified that in the next few hours the work will focus on a sector of double rooms that, at the time of the collapse of material, “did not give time to any type of reaction” to the people who were staying there.
He also pointed out that the investigation will take into account the demands required by the constructions that are carried out on this type of land.
The hotel statement
The company in charge of the operation of the Villa Huinid tourist complex issued a statement on the events of this Monday:
“Yesterday, Monday, June 6 at 6:25 p.m., due to the intense rains that our city has suffered, we have suffered an avalanche of earth and stones in our complex that affected the Hotel Bustillo. A large flow of mud and water entered a sector of rooms in the east wing of the first floor, primarily compromising 3 rooms in the aforementioned wing and some common areas, our staff activated the emergency protocols informing the authorities and evacuating the entire building. a deceased guest of Uruguayan origin, three injured out of danger, two of them who are hospitalized in different institutions in the city, and the rescue teams continue to search for the whereabouts of 2 more people also of Uruguayan origin.
The authorities are working at Hotel Bustillo and evaluating the state of the general situation.
At this time, our priority is to provide support to the victims and their families and work to contain the guests that we have staying at the hotel. All of them have been relocated to Hotel Pioneros and are doing well.
At this time we are in contact with the families of the deceased person, the injured and the people who are still wanted, as well as with the Uruguayan embassy.
We want to thank all the city forces that have worked, and are still working in our facilities because of this tragic event.”
