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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.
Mayor says 5 still missing after partial building collapse in Iowa
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Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said five people were still missing after an apartment building partially collapsed in the city of Davenport on Sunday.

Officials said it was possible two of the missing people were still somewhere in the rubble of the building.

On Monday firefighters helped rescue a woman from the building, who had sheltered under furniture in her apartment when the collapse occurred. She was the ninth person to be rescued from the collapse.

Her rescue has delayed the city's initial plans to demolish the rest of the building. Officials weighed the possibility of searching the site for any other survivors, but the building is still unstable and getting worse, according to Fire Marshal James Morris. 

The city now says it wants to move quickly to prepare the building for demolition.

SEE MORE: First responders search for survivors after building collapses in Iowa

On Tuesday protesters called for the city to make a more thorough search of the site. They held signs saying "Find them first," and used a megaphone to call out the names of residents who lived in the building.

The local police chief said the building had 53 tenants.

The cause of the collapse is still unclear. There had been work underway on the building's exterior at the time of the collapse. Officials say the building owner had a permit for the work, and that a structural engineer had confirmed that it was safe for people to reside in the building while the work went on.

Residents aren't permitted to go back in to retrieve belongings. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds activated an emergency assistance program Monday to support residents who have been left homeless.


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