() Two people may still be inside a six-story apartment building that partially collapsed Sunday afternoon in Iowa, the Davenport mayor said at noon Tuesday, while three others remain missing while work continues. rescue in the tower, structurally precarious.
The revelation came after the rescue Monday afternoon of a ninth survivor from the rubble, confirmed by Mayor Mike Matson less than a day after city officials announced that “demolition is expected to begin in the morning ” at the scene after rescue efforts “turned into a recovery operation.”
That plan is now apparently on hold. Even so, the building remains dangerous, and only first responders are allowed to enter, as the municipal authorities stressed on Tuesday,
“This is an active incident that is very fast and constantly evolving,” Matson said Tuesday during a news conference, adding that he does not know why the ninth survivor, Lisa Brooks, was not found sooner.
“But please understand, myself and the city (are) committed to finding out why,” the mayor said.
The city is “continuing to evaluate the demolition date,” the city said in an update Tuesday.
“The demolition is a multi-phase process that includes obtaining permits and staging crews that will begin today,” the city said. “The schedule for the physical demolition of the property is still being evaluated. The building remains structurally unsafe and in imminent danger of collapse.”
Officials acknowledged Monday night that “there are unaccounted for individuals who were residents of the property” and Davenport police continue to work “to try to contact them.”
With the building’s exterior wall ripped away, exposing a bathtub and clothes still hanging in a closet, images of its partial collapse evoked memories of the 2021 condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida, which killed 98 people. Last month in New York City, a parking lot with property violations collapsed, killing one person and injuring at least five.
The cause of the collapse in Davenport has not yet been determined, but the building’s owner had current permits for exterior wall repairs, authorities said. Now, that owner has been served with a demolition order, Davenport officials said Monday afternoon.
“The building remains in imminent danger of collapse and conditions at the site continue to deteriorate,” the city said in an update Monday night.
The “need to demolish this building stems specifically from our desire to maintain as much safety as possible for the surrounding areas,” said Rich Oswald, director of City Development and Neighborhood Services.
City officials did not immediately respond to ‘s requests for more details about the missing persons, the demolition plan and the building.
“get her out”
Brooks has been missing since part of the building detached and collapsed Sunday, the Quad-City Times reported. She called her daughter from the fourth floor of the building on Monday, and family members rushed to alert firefighters and police officers on the scene of her location.
Firefighters raised a bucket ladder to rescue Brooks, who waved through a window. The crowd cheered and chanted: “Get her out,” the newspaper reported.
Several passersby look at the remains of a partially collapsed apartment building Monday in Davenport, Iowa.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Eight other people were previously rescued from the collapsed building and more than a dozen managed to evacuate by their own means, according to municipal authorities. No deaths have been reported.
“Following extensive rescue operations, no viable signs of life have been confirmed,” the city said in a news release Monday night. “After multiple rescue efforts over the course of the 24 hours since the incident, teams were unable to find any victims in need of rescue.”
Protesters gathered Monday night after the news of the planned demolition broke, saying some residents might still be trapped, the Quad-City Times reported. Some carried signs reading: “Who’s in the rubble?” and “Find them first!”.
Engineers have been studying how to carry out the demolition in Davenport.
“In the opinion of the structural engineer, the rubble pile currently contributes to the stability of the building and its removal could jeopardize or hasten the inevitable collapse of the building,” city officials said Monday night.
The damage occurred when the rear of the apartment building detached from the rest of the structure, Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten said. Sunday’s collapse triggered a large natural gas and water leak that forced emergency crews to halt their search and rescue efforts until utilities could be secured, he said.
Residents will not be allowed to re-enter the building for security reasons, according to authorities.
The collapse was like “a bomb”
The collapse destroyed entire rooms of residents’ most prized possessions and left some without a place to live, they said.
Army veteran Fred Voorhis has lost all memories of his 21 years of military service, as well as several essential medications, he told affiliate KGAN. Voorhis was sleeping when the collapse occurred.
“I opened the door of my apartment and there was sunlight. It was supposed to be a hallway,” Voorhis told the affiliate. With his house in ruins, he said that he has no idea where he is going to live.
“There is no alternative plan,” he said.
Residents of the partially collapsed building will not be able to return to collect their belongings, according to authorities.
Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times/AP
Paul Stephenson, who was visiting a friend who lived in the building at the time of the collapse, told affiliate KWQC that he was able to help his friend escape the building but has not seen him since crews emergency escorted residents on Sunday night.
The moment of the collapse was “like a bomb” that reverberated throughout the building, he said.
“It was very dark. I just knew how to navigate,” Stephenson said, describing how he helped guide his friend from the rubble, but had to put down his phone in the chaos.
“I’m still looking for my friend. But I know he’s safe because I got him out.”
He said he knows others, however, who are nervous waiting to hear from their loved ones.
Davenport Mayor Mike Matson acknowledged that the collapse is “devastating to the residents of this building and to our community as well.”
“My prayers are with the families of those who remain unaccounted for and for a speedy recovery of those who were injured,” he said.
‘s Elizabeth Wolfe, Kelly McCleary and Taliah Miller contributed to this report.
