Ashanti Region: Collapsed building kills one at Sewua; cause unknown

One person has been confirmed dead after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in Sewua in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region.

The building caved in on Wednesday (17 July) afternoon while the victim was having lunch, according to witnesses at the scene.

Prince Kwame Adutwum, the Assemblyman for the Sewua Electoral Area, told Asaase News that emergency services worked for hours to recover the body of the victim from the rubble.

He was subsequently rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The identity of the deceased is yet to be confirmed.

Adutwum also stated that a joint investigation into the incident has commenced.

“I rushed to the scene following a distress call and found a four-to-five-storey building under construction that had caved in. His apprentice returning from an errand first signalled him of the impending danger, but he got trapped under the rubble in an attempt to escape. Emergency services were called to the scene to aid in the rescue mission. Unfortunately, he was found dead moments later”, Adutwum narrated.

“For now, the private developer responsible for the building has been identified and he has been invited to assist the police with their inquiries”, the Assemblyman revealed.

Concerns have been raised about the quality of materials used in the construction industry, attributing it as a possible cause of such incidents.

The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry is however placing the blame squarely on the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

The Chamber believes that the failure of the MMDAs to effectively assess the work of land developers intending to erect buildings is the root cause of the collapsed structures.

The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry asserts that some land developers engage quack engineers to supervise construction works and thus cut corners in building projects.

He called on authorities to take action against land developers who flout structural integrity rules.

“There are technologies in the system that are well advanced, that can only be manned by professionals. But what do we see? Developers just fall on any roadside mason, call them to site and give them whatsoever amount of money and then expect them to deliver quality for them. Some of the MMDAs also fail to effectively assess the work of land developers. These are some of the challenges we are having as an industry. So, until we crack the whip, it will be very difficult to arrest the menace,” Mr. Cherry said in an interview.

Reporting By Oberempong Perry Lisbon, Asaase Newsroom, Kumasi

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