Another building collapse in Cape Coast kills woman days after similar tragedy

Cape Coast has been rocked by yet another building collapse, claiming the life of a woman and leaving her grandson injured, just five days after a similar incident killed two elderly residents.

The latest tragedy occurred around 2 a.m. on Tuesday at Idun near Amissah Ekyir. The two-storey building came crashing down as residents slept, trapping 65-year-old Ernestina Nduom and her grandson beneath the debris. While the young boy survived with injuries, Madam Nduom was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.

Cape Coast Mayor, George Justice Arthur, confirmed the fatality and personally conveyed the heartbreaking news to the bereaved family.

Emergency teams managed to rescue two other victims from the rubble and transported them to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, where one male victim remains under treatment.

This is the second deadly building collapse to hit the city in less than a week. On Saturday, two elderly individuals lost their lives and three others were injured when a residential structure collapsed at the London Bridge area following heavy rainfall.

The back-to-back disasters have raised alarm over the structural integrity of aging buildings in Cape Coast, especially in the historic central areas.

Mayor George Justice Arthur has announced plans for a swift demolition of all structurally compromised buildings across the metropolis to prevent further casualties as the rainy season intensifies.

“These incidents are a wake-up call. We cannot wait for more lives to be lost before acting. We’ll take immediate steps to pull down dangerous buildings,” the Mayor stated.

The recent collapses have brought the death toll from such incidents in Cape Coast to three within a span of five days, triggering renewed calls for stricter enforcement of building safety regulations in the city.