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Apartment Building Partially Collapses in Davenport, Iowa; Rescue Operations Remain Underway

While the cause of the collapse remains unclear, responders found a "large natural gas leak, with water leaking from all floors" for the six-story structure

<p>Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP</p> Apartment collapse in Iowa

Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP

Apartment collapse in Iowa

Local officials are working with "the whole purpose of trying to find people and trying to get them out" after a six-story apartment building partially collapsed Sunday in Davenport, Iowa.

Mayor Mike Matson and city officials updated residents at a press conference Sunday night, hours after the building — known as The Davenport — collapsed in the afternoon.

While the cause of the collapse remains unclear, crews were dispatched to the scene at 4:55 p.m. local time after part of the back of the building was detached from the rest.

The building's integrity was of concern, Matson and Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten said at a press conference reported by Quad-City Times. Responders found a "large natural gas leak, with water leaking from all floors of the structure."

Crews rescued seven people initially and helped evacuate over a dozen people, Carlsten said, and they've since added other agencies to assist in the rescue for more "expertise" and "manpower."

According to CNN, Carlsten revealed another person was rescued from the building overnight. “The building is structurally unsound, is posing a risk to responders,” he added at another news conference Monday.

<p>Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP</p>

Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP

"Some of our concerns at this time are still the structural stability of the building and trying to locate unaccounted for individuals," Carlsten shared Sunday.

"Crews will continue to work through the night. In fact, crews have just started to enter the building again for the secondary search, and also start with the rescue of the debris pile that we have at the bottom of the building. We will continue to do that until this operation is completed."

Related: At Least 1 Dead After Multistory Condo Building in Miami Collapses: &#39;This is a Horrific Catastrophe&#39;

<p>Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP</p> Apartment collapse in Iowa

Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP

Apartment collapse in Iowa

The owner of the building had permits to make "exterior wall repairs," Richard Oswald — the city’s neighborhood services director — said at the press conference Sunday.

Images from the scene show one part of the building completely open, with the insides of closets and other areas of units totally visible, as water dripped down from the top of the structure.

The "glows" of rescuers' flashlights could be seen from outside of the building as they went room-to-room looking for people and animals stuck inside, WQAD reported.

<p>Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP</p> Apartment collapse in Iowa

Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP

Apartment collapse in Iowa

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Residents have been sharing their concerns and explaining what they saw to local networks. Building cleaner Tadd Machovec recalled hearing "a lot of screams and a lot of cries" when part of the building went down.

"That did not last," he told WQAD. "2 or 3 minutes and then the whole area was silent. I'm hoping and praying that the screams that I heard when the building came down were not people inside of it."

<p>Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP</p> Scene of an apartment collapse in Iowa

Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP

Scene of an apartment collapse in Iowa

Related: 1 Dead, 5 Injured After Stolen Car Driver Slams Into Building and Causes Collapse

Resident Victoria McClain recalled seeing dust and debris, adding, "I hope they bring my dog out and that she'll come back out to me. She's my world. She's all I got."

Andrew Sommer, a former tenant, told KWQC: "I live in the building just next to it and we heard just like a large crash and then shortly after we went outside and saw the whole section of the building gone."

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