Three people, including two women and a man, have been confirmed dead after a three-storey building being used as a church collapsed on worshippers in Accra on Sunday.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said 20 others, mostly women and children, had been rescued and were receiving treatment at various hospitals. Authorities noted there was a “90-95% certainty” that no one remained trapped inside.
Emergency teams worked through the night under floodlights, searching the building’s debris. The cause of the collapse, which occurred after heavy rain, remains unknown as investigations continue.
Locals reported that the building, part of a school in the New Town area, had been unfinished for several years yet was being used for church services. “It’s a very sad day for all of us,” Mohammed-Mubarak said, commending the quick response of emergency responders.
Eyewitnesses described the structure as poorly constructed and long neglected. Amadu Mohammed Hafiz, who runs a business opposite the building, recounted hearing a noise and turning to see the structure falling. Other residents noted that the building “could fall anytime” and expressed concern that activities had been allowed inside despite its weaknesses.
The incident has reignited debates over building safety in Ghana, recalling the 2012 collapse of a multi-storey shopping centre linked to poor construction practices. Operations to clear debris and check for any remaining victims are ongoing.
