Video shows dramatic aftermath of building collapse in Iowa
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A resident of the collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, had her leg amputated by rescuers trying to free her from the rubble.
Lexus Berry and her wife Quanishia had just taken pictures of a separation between a wall and the bathroom doorway in their apartment when the building came down around 5pm on Sunday. Lexus managed to run to safety but her wife and their cats became trapped in the wreckage.
Quanishia was rescued on Monday morning, but in order to free her from the rubble, surgeons and first responders that to amputate her leg above the knee. She is now recovering in hospital and is on a ventilator, his wife told The Quad-Cities Times.
“There was a lot of debris and things surrounding her and her legs were pinned down,” Lexus told the outlet. “They were able to get one leg out, but the other leg in order to get her out, they had to amputate it. It was a scene that I’ll never forget.”
Two men, Ryan Hitchcock and Branden Colvin, are believed to still be trapped under the wreckage, as the city revealed plans to proceed with demolition due to the building’s brittle condition.
ICYMI: Cats, snakes and lizard rescued from the wreckage
The Humane Society of Scott County announced on Tuesday night that several animals were rescued and reunited with their humans.
“We recovered 6 cats, 2 snakes, and 1 lizard, which were all the pets reported on our form that weren’t in one of the apartments where the building collapsed,” the non-profit announced on Tuesday night. “We’ve already reunited 4 cats, the 2 snakes, and the lizard with their owners, and the other two will be reunited shortly!”
Five tenants are still unaccounted for, at least two of them are believed to be trapped in the wreckage.
Update as of 5/30/23 at 11:41am: Davenport and Bettendorf Fire Department will be making another rescue effort inside the collapsed building in downtown Davenport. Please keep them and all of those...
Iowa officials face a gruelling decision
Experts have said the structure built in the 1900s is extremely unstable. Because of the layout of the building, with the rear brick part holding together much of the steel structure, officials said there were likely no void spaces where trapped victims could have taken shelter.
Authorities said its brittle condition is worsening with time and the possibility of another collapse is now imminent.
“We want to get everyone out, we want to do it right now,” Fire Marshall Jim Morris said as he broke down in tears at Tuesday’s press conference. “So understand, it’s not that we don’t want to do this ... it’s that we have to do it in a safe manner.”
Officers weigh further searches of precarious building
Officials are accessing whether further searches are possible as the wreckage poses a significant safety risk for crews who may enter, Davenport Fire Marshal Jim Morris said.
“You can’t run up to a pile of bricks and rocks and just start throwing things off – as much as we want to,” Mr Morris said at Tuesday’s news conference.
“It’s not that we don’t want to do this. It’s the fact that we have to do it in a safe manner. … We’re going to reevaluate how safe we can be in order to get in there and not currently make the situation any worse.”
IN PICTURES: Horror collapse in Davenport, Iowa, as five still unaccounted for
(AP)
(AP)
(AP)
Un bombero trepa entre los escombros del edificio derrumbado
(AP)
Surviving tenant of Iowa collapsed building reveals wife lost leg in rescue
A survivor of the partially collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, has revealed her wife had her leg amputated by rescuers trying to save her.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, first responders worked tirelessly to evacuate tenants, initially rescuing seven people from the wreckage. For the first 12 hours that authorities were unable to locate Quanishia, her wife stayed in the area, anxiously waiting for updates and holding onto hope that Quanishia had survived the ordeal.
On Monday morning, search crews finally located Quanishia, who was trapped under debris.
While Lexus Berry escaped the collapsed on Sunday, her wife Quanishia and their two cats became trapped under the rubble
Cats, snakes and lizard rescued from the wreckage
The Humane Society of Scott County announced on Tuesday night that several animals were rescued and reunited with their humans.
“We recovered 6 cats, 2 snakes, and 1 lizard, which were all the pets reported on our form that weren’t in one of the apartments where the building collapsed,” the non-profit announced on Tuesday night. “We’ve already reunited 4 cats, the 2 snakes, and the lizard with their owners, and the other two will be reunited shortly!”
Five tenants are still unaccounted for, at least two of them are believed to be trapped in the wreckage.
Update as of 5/30/23 at 11:41am: Davenport and Bettendorf Fire Department will be making another rescue effort inside the collapsed building in downtown Davenport. Please keep them and all of those...
ICYMI: Desperate search for survivors after apartment building collapses in Iowa
A desperate search is underway to rescue potential survivors of an apartment building collapse in Davenport, Iowa.
Part of a red brick building on the city’s Main Street collapsed at around 5pm Sunday, with stunning photos showing at least one-fourth of the structure’s units destroyed. As of Monday morning, a total of eight people had been rescued from the wreckage.
Davenport Fire Chief Michael Carlsten said during a press conference that no deaths have been reported and the number of potential missing remains unknown.
Mr Carlsten added that the cause of the collapse has not been determined but residents had been placing several 911 calls reporting a “strong smell of gas.”
Authorities do not know how many people are still missing after part of a building collapsed in Davenport on Sunday evening
WATCH: Video shows dramatic aftermath of building collapse in Iowa
Video shows dramatic aftermath of building collapse in Iowa
Surviving tenant of Iowa collapsed building reveals wife lost leg in rescue
A survivor of the partially collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, has revealed her wife had her leg amputated by rescuers trying to save her.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, first responders worked tirelessly to evacuate tenants, initially rescuing seven people from the wreckage. For the first 12 hours that authorities were unable to locate Quanishia, her wife stayed in the area, anxiously waiting for updates and holding onto hope that Quanishia had survived the ordeal.
On Monday morning, search crews finally located Quanishia, who was trapped under debris.
While Lexus Berry escaped the collapsed on Sunday, her wife Quanishia and their two cats became trapped under the rubble
Building owner named as defendant in civil enforcement action
The city has been in contact with the building owner Andrew Wold, Mr Morris said on Tuesday.
State agencies are coordinating what agency will take the lead in the investigation but no criminal charges have been filed yet.
Iowa court records reviewed by The Independent on Wednesday show that Mr Wold and Davenport Hotel LLC are listed as defendants in a civil enforcement action brought by the City of Davenport on 30 May.
Mr Wold was given a $300 fine for failing to keep the building “safe, sanitary and structurally sound condition,” WQAD reports.