A four-storey building collapse in Accra New Town has left three people dead and 20 others rescued after emergency teams mounted an intensive overnight operation to search through the rubble and account for victims.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community and triggered a large-scale response involving the police, military, ambulance service, fire service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
Interior Minister and Member of Parliament for Asawase, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed, confirmed the casualty figures after authorities completed what he described as a carefully verified assessment of the scene.
“We have put all the information together and what we can say is that there was a total of 23. Unfortunately, we have lost three.” - Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak
Victims identified as rescue teams complete search
According to the Minister, the deceased were all adults and include one male and two females. The remaining 20 survivors were pulled from the wreckage and rushed to health facilities across Accra for emergency treatment.
Officials say the operation relied on both manual rescue work and advanced search methods to ensure no one was left behind under the debris.
Emergency teams were supported by canine units from the Ghana Police Service and the Narcotics Control Commission, which were deployed to detect any possible signs of life beneath the collapsed structure.
The Minister praised the rescue teams for working with discipline and urgency through the night, noting that the combined findings from search personnel and sniffer dogs suggest there are likely no more victims trapped.
Survivors receiving treatment in multiple hospitals
The injured have been admitted to several hospitals, including the Police Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, Mamobi Polyclinic and a private health facility.
Authorities say many of the survivors are responding positively to treatment, although doctors have been advised to proceed cautiously before discharging any patient.
The Minister explained that even those who appear stable are being closely monitored because of the risk of delayed complications associated with structural collapse injuries.
Among the 23 victims, 14 are females and eight are males, while seven of those affected are minors. Officials noted that none of the fatalities involved children.
Authorities near end of active rescue phase
With search teams estimating they are “about ninety to ninety five percent certain” that no one else remains trapped, the operation is now moving toward the final debris-clearing phase.
Authorities say that work will continue as a precaution until the site is fully secured and all concerns are conclusively addressed.
The collapse is expected to raise fresh questions about structural safety, building compliance and enforcement in densely populated parts of Accra.
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