Heavy rain collapses building in Sekondi

A storey building at Pariscoa, a suburb of Sekondi, in the Western Region has collapsed following a mudslide after long hours of heavy downpour on Sunday, June 21.

Madam Emma Akosua Adu Boafo, Head of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Research at the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the occupants saw cracks on some parts of the building during the heavy rains on Friday and evacuated before the eventual collapse on Sunday.

She said no casualties were recorded after the disaster.

She said NADMO was collaborating with officials from the Metro Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and other stakeholders to act and demolish the entire building to ensure safety around that area.

Madam Boafo stated that authorities would conduct assessment and integrity test for all structures within that enclave and take the necessary actions to prevent future disasters.

She advised property owners and developers to seek the necessary regulatory approvals before putting up their structures, saying; “We must not just get up and build anywhere, because apart from rains, noise, vibration, and the type of soil composition can also cause collapse of buildings.”

GNA