A tragic building collapse in Accra Newtown has claimed the lives of three people, while emergency responders have successfully rescued at least 20 others from the rubble.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the day, sending shockwaves through the densely populated neighbourhood in Accra.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud crash before the structure gave way, trapping occupants beneath debris.
Rescue operations were swiftly launched by personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, along with other emergency agencies and community volunteers.
Working tirelessly, responders managed to pull survivors from the wreckage, some of whom sustained varying degrees of injury and were rushed to nearby medical facilities.
Rescue operations intensified overnight, with emergency teams working under floodlights in a race against time to locate any survivors who may still be trapped beneath the rubble. Personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the National Ambulance Service have all been deployed to the scene.
Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has confirmed an updated death toll following the building collapse in Accra, raising the number of fatalities to three from the initial two reported shortly after Sunday’s incident.
The collapse occurred at a structure located within the premises of the Accra New Town Experimental Basic School, which also serves as a place of worship for a Christian congregation.
Providing clarity on the casualty figures, the Minister emphasised that authorities took careful steps to ensure the accuracy of the information before making it public. “So far, information that has been cross-checked, double-checked, visited all the hospitals, just to be sure that we don’t give any information that may be far away from the fact,” he said.
He acknowledged the difficulty in determining the exact number of occupants at the time of the collapse but noted that collaboration among emergency responders had helped establish a more reliable estimate.
“As we all know, it is very difficult for you to go to how many people were in there, but at least with the cross-check from the police and National Ambulance Service,” he noted.
According to the Minister, a total of 23 people were involved in the incident.
“What we can say is that there was a total of 23 people. Unfortunately, we’ve lost three – a male and two females. They’re not able to tell names for now,” he disclosed.
