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Man speaks out after father dies in Iowa building collapse

The 18-year-old said he tried to stay strong while awaiting news about his dad, whose body was eventually recovered from the rubble over the weekend.
Branden Colvin Jr. speaks out about Iowa building collapse
Posted at 9:23 PM, Jun 05, 2023
and last updated 2023-06-06 09:38:17-04

The bodies of three missing people have been recovered from the rubble of a partially collapsed apartment building, according to authorities in Davenport.

Branden Colvin Sr. died in the collapse. His body was recovered on Saturday.

His son, 18-year-old Branden Colvin Jr., spoke with Scripps News on June 5 about waiting at the collapse site for news.

"We're okay," he said in an interview. "We're trying to stay strong right now."

It's still not clear what caused the collapse, which displaced residents from 80 apartments in the building.

Tenants had complained of heat and water problems, which sometimes lasted for months at a time. Colvin Jr. said he had seen social media posts about conditions in the building.

The city and the building's owner received warnings that the building was unstable. An engineering report from just days before the collapse warned that one of the building's walls might crumble at any time.

One resident has sued the city of Davenport and the building's owners, alleging they didn't warn tenants about risks they knew about.

The building's owner said in a May 30th statement that "our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants," but city officials say they haven't heard from the owner since.

SEE MORE: 3 bodies recovered at site of Iowa apartment collapse


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