Frantic search for survivors after six-story Iowa apartment building partially collapses during repairs amid fears dozens of residents who complained of problems for years will not be accounted for
- Part of an apartment building on Main Street in Davenport, Iowa, collapsed Sunday evening
- Crews are searching for missing persons, as seven have been rescued from the building
- Police are asking people to avoid the area as rescue efforts continue
Crews are desperate for missing persons after the collapse of a partial apartment building in Iowa.
The collapse was reported around 5 p.m. Sunday in Davenport, Iowa. About 80 apartments were located in the building on the Hoofdstraat.
Robert Robinson lived on the second floor of the complex and had just returned from an outdoor smoking break when part of the building collapsed.
“When we started to go back, the lights went out,” Robinson. “Suddenly everyone started running out saying the building was collapsing. I’m glad we came down when we did.”
Officials on scene Sunday night said 12 people were helped out of the structure and another seven needed to be rescued.
Crews searched the rubble as some people are missing, but officials have not said how many are missing.
Part of a six-story apartment building collapsed in Davenport, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon
Officials said missing but not how many as crews search rubble for missing tenants
The seriousness of the injuries of the people who were in the building when it collapsed is not known.
Several current and former tenants told Quad City Times that the building had problems in the past.
“It sounds bad, but we’ve been calling the city since December and complaining. Our bathroom collapsed in December,” Jennifer Smith told the outlet.
Davenport’s director of development and community services, Rich Oswald, said the building’s owners had permission to make reports to the exterior bricks before the collapse, according to KWQC.
There were reports earlier this week of bricks falling from the building, which was part of the work, he said.
The owner of the building, Andrew Wold, has not yet commented on the collapse.
Police and rescue teams remained on scene Sunday evening as they asked people to avoid the centre.