Body of man missing in Iowa building collapse found

[June 05, 2023]  (Reuters) - The body of a man that had been missing since the partial collapse of a building in Davenport, Iowa, has been recovered, a city official confirmed on Sunday.
 
The body of Branden Colvin Sr. was found on Saturday and his family has been notified, Sarah Ott, the city's chief strategy officer, said in an email.

Davenport police officers form a line opposite protesters that are advocating for search efforts to continue near the site of an apartment building that partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. May 30, 2023. Joseph Cress/USA Today Network via REUTERS.

Ott did not provide any further details.

Two other men, 51-year-old Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien, 60, were still missing as of Sunday. Local authorities said last week that the three men still unaccounted for, including Colvin Sr., had a "high probability of being home at the time of the partial building collapse."

A center section of the six-story, brick and steel building collapsed on May 28. The building, more than 100 years old, contained 84 apartments and businesses. Davenport is a small city on the Mississippi River, just west of the border with Illinois. At least nine people were rescued from the site in the days after the collapse.

The instability of the remaining structure created treacherous conditions for rescuers, forcing a slower response, according to officials.

Authorities said at a news conference on Friday that operations were moving from search and rescue efforts to shoring and securing what is left of the structure.

Colvin Sr.'s son was notified that his father's body had been found on the same day he received his high school diploma.

"He's proud of me. He is the reason I was even able to have enough strength to walk across the stage,” Branden Colvin Jr., 18, said in an interview with CNN.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.