A ninth victim was reportedly rescued Monday night from a partially collapsed apartment complex in Iowa as officials continue to assess when to demolish the building.
Responders removed Lisa Brooks after she called her daughter from the downtown Davenport building’s fourth floor, according to the Quad-City Times.
“I burst into an overflow of emotions,” her nephew, Antoine Smith Jr., told the local newspaper. “Because I’ve been holding in so much stuff in order to be strong for everybody else, and my family that was down there, trying to keep them calm.”
City officials had announced earlier Monday that the demolition of the six-story building was “expected to commence” Tuesday morning.
Following Brooks’ rescue, Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Ott said authorities were evaluating the demolition plan, according to the Quad-City Times.
In an update Tuesday morning, the city said it was “continually evaluating the timing of the demolition.”
“Demolition is a multi-phase process that includes permitting and staging of equipment that will begin today,” officials said. “The timing of the physical demolition of the property is still be evaluated. The building remains structurally insecure and in imminent danger of collapse.”
Family members suspect victims identified as Ryan Hitchcock and Brandon Colvin remain inside the building, where about 150 protesters have reportedly congregated outside to call for a continuation of the search.
“There is no chance for him to survive this,” Amy Anderson, a cousin of Hitchcock, told the Quad-City Times.
The partial collapse occurred before 5 p.m. Sunday. The cause of the collapse has not been determined.
Authorities had rescued seven people by Sunday night and removed an eighth overnight into Monday. No deaths have been reported.