2023-05-29 12:33:39
Rescue teams are scrambling to find anyone who may be trapped after a six-story building partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa, on Sunday.
Crews discovered gas and water leaks in the middle of the building, officials said. The number of missing is not known, nor how many inhabitants were displaced.
“It’s an active scene, we’ll continue to work, assess and for the sole purpose of trying to find people to try to root them out,” Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said Sunday night during a a press conference.
The owners of the building had pending permits to carry out repairs to the exterior wall, said Richard Oswald, director of neighborhood services for the city.
The integrity of the building is of concern, said Matson and Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten. The cause of the collapse has yet to be announced, CNN reports.
Crews were dispatched to the scene around 4:55 p.m. Sunday, Carlsten said. Part of the back of the building collapsed and broke away from the rest of the building, he said.
CNN
“I live in the building next door, and we heard like a big crash,” Andrew Sommer, a former tenant of The Davenport, told CNN affiliate KWQC. Shortly after, we came out and saw the whole part of the building disappearing.
Emergency crews detected a major natural gas leak and water leaking from every floor of the building, officials said. Public services have since been secured.
Seven people were rescued from the building and more than a dozen others were escorted out, Carlsten said.
The area will remain closed while search efforts and investigation continue.
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