Mayor says 5 still missing after partial building collapse in Iowa
Two of the people were thought to be somewhere in the rubble of the collapsed apartments.
LEARN MOREPosted: 11:38 a.m. EDT May 31, 2023
Families are losing hope that their loved ones will be rescued from an Iowa apartment building that partially collapsed on Sunday.
Authorities said on Tuesday that five people remain unaccounted for, including Ryan Hitchcock.
"I don't believe he's alive," said Hitchcock's mother, Linda Feliksiak.
Anger has been bubbling up at the site of the building collapse. Protesters took to the streets of Davenport on Tuesday, demanding crews do more to find and rescue those still missing.
However, one of Hitckcock's family members said at a briefing with emergency officials that she knows crews are doing everything they can.
"Ryan wouldn't want anyone else to put their lives at risk to, unfortunately, [locate] somebody who has not survived," said Amy Anderson.
Officials said the building is unstable and continues to worsen as time progresses.
"We are very sympathetic to the possibility that there are two people still left inside," James Morris, fire marshal for Davenport, said while holding back tears.
Engineers are in consultation with crews to determine how to move forward with any possible rescue effort.
"We continue to evaluate the structural stability of the building, and are focused on the investigative aspect of locating unaccounted for individuals," said Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten. He added that there will not be a demolition of the building while there's an active search for survivors, which was a worry of protesters who believed their loved ones may still be alive.
It's unclear what caused the building, which is more than 100 years old, to collapse. Officials said there will be an investigation into the collapse at the appropriate time.
