The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey building at Avenor in North Kaneshie has risen to three, the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has confirmed.
One of the two survivors pulled alive from the rubble on Sunday has succumbed to injuries, pushing the confirmed fatalities to three. Among the deceased is the owner of a Mothercare shop that operated on the premises.
The building collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, June 7, trapping four people. Two were rescued alive and rushed to hospital, while the other two were recovered dead. The third death was recorded after one of the hospitalized victims passed away.
The collapsed structure, believed to have been constructed around 2020 or 2021, accommodated both residential and commercial activities.
READ ALSO: [Preliminary probe points to lack of permit in Avenor building collapse]
Engineers from the Ghana Institution of Engineers who inspected the site have expressed serious concerns over the quality of the building. They pointed to the apparent absence of a building permit from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the visibly poor quality of concrete used, which they say fell short of basic structural standards.
Structural Engineer Emmanuel Aidoo, who visited the scene, warned against unregulated construction practices.
“These structures have to be engineered. You can’t just use your mind to construct such buildings. It’ll come back and haunt you,” he said.
Investigations into the exact cause of the collapse are still ongoing. Authorities are expected to conduct formal tests, including concrete sampling and structural analysis, before releasing definitive findings.
The Avenor tragedy is the second building collapse in Accra within a week. On June 3, a building at Adenta New Site collapsed, killing one person and injuring four others.