By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, has confirmed that all individuals trapped under the collapsed building near the Newtown Experimental D/A School in Accra have been recovered.
The structure caved in on Sunday, March 29, while worshippers had gathered at the premises, leaving three people dead and about 20 others injured.
Dr. Kuyon said search and rescue operations at the site have now been completed, marking the end of the emergency phase of the operation.
He explained that authorities have transitioned from active rescue to the next phase, which involves the controlled clearing of debris.
“We have entered something different from emergency response to save lives and property. The next phase is just clearing the place to make way for the community activities to resume. This is a critical phase, to ensure that in the process of clearing the debris we don’t allow people to meddle in this activity which may pose danger to any other citizen,” he stated.
He added that sniffer dogs were deployed during the operation to confirm that no victims remained trapped beneath the rubble.
Dr. Kuyon commended the swift and coordinated response by emergency teams, whose efforts contributed to the successful recovery of all victims.
The incident has renewed concerns over building safety standards, particularly the use of uncompleted structures for public gatherings.
Authorities say investigations will continue to determine the cause of the collapse as debris clearing progresses.
