A tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning when a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Klagon, a suburb within the Tema West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. The unfortunate accident left a mother and her three children seriously injured.
According to eyewitness accounts, the structure came crashing down around 4:00 a.m., sending shockwaves through the quiet community. Residents nearby said they were jolted awake by a loud noise followed by screams for help. The partially completed building reportedly gave way suddenly, trapping several occupants of a nearby residential structure.
The injured victims — a woman and her three children — were quickly rescued by neighbours and rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Their conditions are said to be stable as of Wednesday afternoon.
Residents claim the building had shown visible cracks over the past few days, but construction work continued despite concerns about its safety. Some witnesses suggested that heavy overnight rain may have weakened the already fragile structure, leading to the collapse. However, officials have not yet confirmed the cause.
The Tema West Municipal Assembly and the Ghana National Fire Service have launched a joint investigation to determine whether poor engineering practices or substandard building materials contributed to the collapse. Preliminary findings indicate that parts of the building’s foundation and support beams may not have met standard requirements.
An officer from the municipal assembly, speaking to reporters, said:
“We are investigating the matter thoroughly. Any contractor or engineer found to have neglected safety regulations will face the full consequences of the law. Public safety cannot be compromised.”
The collapse has reignited public concern about the increasing number of unsafe construction projects across Ghana. In recent years, several similar incidents have occurred due to poor supervision, weak regulatory enforcement, and the use of inferior materials. Residents in Klagon are now calling on authorities to intensify monitoring and to demolish all unsafe structures in the area.
A local resident, who narrowly escaped the collapse, expressed frustration:
“We saw cracks and even warned the workers, but they said it was normal. Now look at what has happened — people are injured, and lives could have been lost.”
Officials have since cordoned off the site to prevent further accidents while engineers assess the stability of nearby buildings. The police have also urged the public to stay away from the area until the investigation is completed.
As emergency teams continue to clear the debris, many residents have been left shaken by the incident, describing it as a “wake-up call” for stricter enforcement of building standards in Ghana’s urban centres.
The government and local authorities are expected to issue a public statement once the cause of the collapse is confirmed.
Source: Thepressradio.com
