() — Authorities in Davenport, Iowa, are conducting search and rescue operations after a six-story apartment building partially collapsed Sunday, leading officials to find gas and water leaks among the rubble.
“This is an active scene, we’re going to keep working, keep evaluating, and for the full purpose of trying to find the people and trying to get them out,” Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said at a news conference Sunday by the night.
Seven people were rescued from the building and more than a dozen self-evacuated and escorted out, Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said.
The six-story building partially collapsed on Sunday, according to authorities. (Credit: Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times/AP)
Authorities did not say how many people are still unaccounted for or how many residents were displaced by the damage to the building. The area will remain closed while search work is carried out and the collapse is investigated, according to authorities.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been disclosed.
Once on the scene, emergency teams detected a large natural gas and water leak on each floor of the building, according to authorities. Public services have been secured and rescue teams are resuming their search for people whose whereabouts are unknown.
Authorities offer updated information after the partial collapse of a building on Sunday. (Credit: Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times/AP)
During the press conference, the city’s Director of Neighborhood Services Richard Oswald confirmed that the building’s owners had valid permits to perform repair work on the exterior wall.
Both Matson and Carlsten indicated that they were concerned about the integrity of the building.
