Officials said that five people were still missing and believed to be in a historic Iowa apartment complex that partially collided.
Nine people were rescued after the disaster just before 5 pm local time on Sunday afternoon at 324 Main Street in Davenport, a six-story, 117-year old complex.
In a press conference on Tuesday, officials from the city said that they plan to search the apartment building again. They are consulting fire experts and structural engineering to determine the best way to do this.
Davenport police chief Jeffery Bladel stated that five people were missing and that “we are certain” that “two of them could still be in the building.”
It’s a sudden change of heart, just one day after Davenport officials announced they would demolish the building on Tuesday after K-9 teams found no survivors.
Lisa Brooks, 52 years old, was rescued by firefighters from her apartment on the fourth floor just hours after Monday’s announcement.
Fire Marshal James Morris stated that Brooks’ rescue was “a viable indication” of the need for the city to re-examine the structure in search of any other survivors.
Plans for demolition are currently “under evaluation”; they are on hold. Officials have not provided a timeline for when another search will be conducted or when demolition will occur.
Sarah Ott, Davenport’s Chief Strategy Officer, said on Tuesday: “The physical demolition of the building is still under evaluation.” The building is still structurally unstable and is in immediate danger of collapsing.
