1 Dead, 2 injured after Accra building collapse
One person has been confirmed dead, with two others in critical condition after a three-storey building collapsed yesterday morning in the North Industrial Area in Accra in the Greater Accra Region.
The two survivors, who are in critical condition, were sent to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital after they were rescued by personnel of a joint team of security personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the National Ambulance Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The combined efforts in the search and rescue operation lasted throughout the day as they combed through the debris for more possible survivors.
Eyewitnesses
Some residents in the area told the Daily Graphic that the building had been occupied for both residential and commercial purposes.
Prior to its collapse, it was connected to another two-storey residential structure.
The eyewitnesses said they heard a loud bang which triggered panic among residents and traders in the area as sections of the structure crumbled without warning.
Emergency personnel secured the area shortly after the incident to commence rescue efforts at the site despite intermittent rainfall at the time.
They restricted access to the site to facilitate rescue operations and prevent further casualties.
The team deployed earth-moving equipment and manual rescue methods to remove concrete slabs and twisted metals that obstructed access to sections beneath the rubble.
They also brought down the remaining parts of the structure due to its unstable nature and the danger it posed.
Officials
The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, visited the scene in the company of the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, and the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, and security chiefs, to assess the situation at first-hand and receive briefings from the emergency personnel.
Other officials present included the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, senior police commanders, the Chief Fire Officer, Daniella Mawusi Ntow Sarpong, the Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Ernest Adomako, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, personnel from GAF, officers of the Ghana Police Service, the National Ambulance Service and representatives of NADMO.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, after the briefing, called for strict adherence to building regulations and planning laws to curb preventable disasters and deaths.
She said stakeholders already understood the appropriate standards and needed to commit to enforcing and observing them consistently.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang thanked emergency responders, security personnel, government officials and members of the media for their roles in managing the situation at the scene.
While sympathising with the families of the deceased and the injured, the Vice-President stressed the importance of drawing lessons from such incidents rather than merely responding after they occurred.
She urged citizens to comply with land-use and building regulations, particularly in areas prone to flooding and designated as waterways.
“I want to plead with all of us to abide by the rules. Rules of siting property, of siting even our own houses. We know the place is prone to flooding. We know that this is a waterway.
Let us not invite unnecessary tragedy,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said.
She called for sustained discipline in physical planning and construction practices to reduce future risks and prevent loss of life.
Minister
For his part, the Interior Minister, who provided the update on the rescue operation, commended the emergency services and other responders for their efforts at the disaster scene.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak called on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to strengthen enforcement of building regulations and ensure compliance with approved standards to prevent similar incidents.
He gave the assurance that authorities would investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse and hold any persons found responsible accountable under the law.
Floods
Meanwhile, the rains which started at varying periods between the late hours of Saturday and the wee hours of Sunday, led to localised flooding, with some precarious structures collapsing.
Areas that got flooded included Adabraka, Dansoman junction, Anyaa, Mallam, Pokuase, Pantang Borla Junction, Community 25, and many areas along the Ashaiman Roundabout and Afienya all in the the Greater Accra Region.
