Two dead in Brazilian collapse

The façade of a hotel in the Copacabana beach district of Rio de Janeiro collapsed today, killing two and burying as many as 12 people on one of the city’s busiest avenues, the fire department said.

Between 10 and 12 people were believed to be buried beneath the rubble that had fallen from the collapsed façade of the Canada Hotel on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, said Captain Jose Moreira of the Rio de Janeiro fire department.

Firefighters were working to remove victims from beneath the rubble and police have shut down traffic along the avenue.

The façade of the hotel had been undergoing renovations when the accident took place at around 1pm Irish time.

Some hotel guests and workers remained stuck inside the hotel, trapped by the fallen rubble, Moreira said.