Topline
Authorities have found the remains of one of the three missing people following the collapse of a Davenport, Iowa, apartment building last week, multiple news outlets reported Sunday—marking the first confirmed death from the disaster.
Officials told Branden Colvin Sr’s family on Saturday that the 42-year-old was found dead in the … [+]
Key Facts
Officials told Branden Colvin Sr’s family on Saturday that the 42-year-old was found dead in the apartment building, the Associated Press reported.
Two other missing people—Ryan Hitchcock, 51, and Daniel Prien, 60—are still unaccounted for and Prien’s daughter, Nancy Prien Frezza, told the AP she had not received any further updates on the search.
Members of the Colvin family had been at the site of the collapse around the clock, including Colvin’s son, who had been sleeping at the site, the Quad-City Times reported.
Key Background
The partial building collapse happened last Sunday at around 5 p.m. in Davenport, a city of about 100,000 across the Mississippi River from Illinois. Part of the apartment complex—which included 80 housing units and some retail space—separated from the rest of the building and collapsed. Earlier this week, officials said five people were unaccounted for, but on Thursday officials said two of those people were accounted for. On Friday, officials suspended the search for survivors to move their attention to recovering the structure of the building. Officials have not declared an official cause for the collapse, but the AP reported authorities found a gas leak and water leaking through the floors of the structure afterwards. In the days since the collapse, residents have told multiple media outlets the building was plagued by issues ranging from plumbing to air conditioning.
What To Watch For
There has been a back and forth over whether the building would be demolished. Inititaily, officials said they planned to demolish the building on Tuesday. That decision was put on hold after local residents protested and demanded officials continue the search for the missing residents. Davenport City Administrator Corri Spiegel told the Des Moines Register that the building is likely “filled with asbestos” given its age, so the city will have to be intentional to ensure workers and people in the area are protected when the remaining structure is demolished. Officials have said the remaining structure is unstable, and warned residents not to return to the site after the collapse. It’s unclear when the full demolition of the building will take place. Davenport officials will hold another press conference Monday at 10 a.m.
Tangent
RThe building’s owner, Andrew Wold, has come under fire since the collapse. City officials and Wold, who bought the property in 2021 for $4 million, were aware that parts of the building were unstable, documents obtained by the AP show. Despite the warnings officials never called for an evacuation of the building. Davenport officials said Thursday they did not evacuate the building before the collapse because they relied on the engineer’s assurances the building was safe, the Des Moines Register reported. Wold released a statement Tuesday saying “our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants,” the Register reported. Wold has not made any public statements since then.
Further Reading
Davenport Collapse: Demolition On Hold As 5 People Still Unaccounted For (Forbes)
Davenport, Iowa, Orders Demolition For Collapsed Apartment Building—Here’s What To Know About Davenport Collapse (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/06/04/first-death-confirmed-in-iowa-building-collapse/