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Unsafe Apartment Building Partially Collapses in Iowa, Trapping Residents Inside

  • Five people are unaccounted for after a historic Iowa apartment building partly collapsed, with at least two believed trapped inside the unstable structure.
  • Though several pets and nine people have been rescued, the recovery of any remaining individuals is the top priority as the building continues to degrade.
  • Complaints about unsafe conditions were made prior to the collapse, though the building owner claimed repairs were underway and an engineering report had deemed it safe in January.
  • Protesters argue the city moved too quickly toward demolishing the 116-year-old building, especially after a survivor was found inside two days after the initial collapse.
  • Families of missing residents feel helpless as officials determine how to safely search the precarious remains of the six-story building.
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