Dozens trapped in building collapse
A five-storey shopping centre collapsed in Ghana today killing at least one person and leaving several dozen people trapped in the rubble.
Rescue crews used cranes to try to remove debris from the top of the building amid fears that machinery sifting through the wreckage could injure trapped survivors.
The fatality at the Melcom Shopping Centre at Achimota, a suburb of Accra, was confirmed by Public Affairs Officer of the Ghana Fire Service Billy Anaglate. “We are still working to find out the fate of others who may be trapped under,” he said.
Officials said the death toll was likely to rise.
A Greater Accra Regional Public Affairs officer, deputy superintendent Freeman Tettey, confirmed that one person died and said 51 have been rescued and sent to hospitals around the capital.
President John Mahama declared the scene a disaster zone and cut short his election campaign in the north of the country to be able to visit the site. The presidential election is scheduled for December.
The shopping centre opened in February.
