A mason who was trapped under debris after a building collapsed at the Kasoa New Market in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region has been rescued.
The unnamed victim sustained serious leg injuries and is receiving treatment after being pulled out alive by emergency response teams.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and officials from the Municipal Assembly were quickly deployed to the scene following the incident, which occurred on Saturday, October 11.
Eyewitnesses said the building came down suddenly, sending debris flying and triggering panic among traders and residents in the busy market area.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Awutu Senya East, Seth Banini, who visited the scene, attributed the collapse to the use of poor construction materials and structural defects.
“What we have realised is that the building was constructed with substandard materials. They used 11.5 or 12mm iron rods for the columns, and the beam lapping was poorly done,” he said.
“This building has been there for over 10 years, so it wasn’t under our tenure. But we always encourage anyone putting up new structures to come to the Assembly with their documents for our engineers to inspect and approve before construction. It’s not about revenue, it’s about protecting lives and property,” he stressed.
The MCE said the mason was lucky to have survived, as the collapsed section narrowly missed his upper body.
“If it had hit his neck, he would have died instantly. Thankfully, it fell on his leg, though the injury is serious, we are praying they don’t cut his legs,” Mr Banini noted.
He commended the quick response from the Fire Service and NADMO personnel, adding that further inspections would be carried out to identify other weak structures in the area.
The NADMO Director for Awutu Senya East also confirmed that his team rescued the victim and urged traders to stay away from the damaged building.
“We were cleaning parts of Kasoa when we received the distress call and rushed to the scene. The victim’s leg was broken, but he’s alive, and we thank God for that,” he said.
“The building is old and was renovated with low-quality materials. We’ll make sure no one goes back there until the right structural assessments are done,” he added.
The area has since been cordoned off as NADMO and municipal engineers continue to assess the safety of nearby structures.
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