At least three people have been confirmed dead following the collapse of a three-storey building in Accra New Town, with rescue teams working through the night to save those trapped beneath the rubble.
Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak said the victims—two women and a man—are yet to be identified, while 20 others have been rescued and are receiving treatment at various health facilities.
The incident occurred on Sunday at an uncompleted structure within the premises of a basic school, which was reportedly being used for church activities.
Authorities say the casualty figures were only released after thorough verification. “So far, information that has been cross-checked, double-checked… just to be sure that we don’t give any information that may be far away from the fact,” the Minister stated.
He explained that determining the exact number of occupants at the time of the collapse was challenging but said coordinated data from emergency responders helped establish a clearer picture.
“It is very difficult… to know how many people were in there, but at least with the cross-check from the Police and National Ambulance Service,” he noted.
Emergency personnel from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation, and the National Ambulance Service were deployed to the scene, where operations continued under floodlights.
Providing an update, the Minister indicated that a total of 23 people were believed to have been in the building. “We have put all the information together… there was a total of 23 people. Unfortunately, we have lost three,” he said.
He added that there is now “90–95% certainty that we no longer have any persons trapped,” although debris clearing and final checks are ongoing.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown, but the incident has renewed concerns about unsafe and uncompleted structures being used for public activities, especially following reports that the building had long been considered weak by residents.
