Search and rescue efforts were stalling after a six-story apartment building partially collapsed in Iowa on Monday, officials said.
The Davenport Police Department said its officers and firefighters responded to a report of a collapse at 324 Main Street in Davenport, on the Mississippi River in the eastern part of the state, around 5 p.m. Sunday.
Overnight, a dozen people were evacuated from the building and eight people were rescued, Davenport Fire Department Chief Michael Carlston said at a news conference Monday. One person was taken to the hospital, but Chief Carlston did not know the person’s condition. No other injuries were reported.
No one is yet known to be trapped and there have been no deaths, but on Monday, crews used dogs trained in cadaver detection and recovery to search through the rubble, the chief said.
Firefighters and emergency medical personnel rushed into the building, which has 84 residential and commercial units, saving lives, Mayor Mike Madsen said Monday.
Firefighters found a large natural gas leak and a water leak in the building, but the cause of the collapse is unknown, Chief Carlston said.
The city’s director of development and neighborhood services, Rich Oswald, said work was underway on the building’s exterior at the time of the collapse, and there were reports of bricks falling from the building earlier this week.
John Beragin Contributed reporting from Davenport, Iowa.
