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The structure of the church before the collapse
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Church of Prosperity building in Akyem Batabi in the Asene-Manso-Akroso district in the eastern region collapsed due to poor materials used for the construction of the building.
Officials have identified substandard iron rods, sand and gravel used by the church’s senior pastor, Prophet Isaac Ofori, also known as Akoa Isaac, for the five-story church building as contributing to the disaster.
At a press conference in Akyem Batabi where the end of the search and rescue mission was announced, the Director General of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh, appealed to the public to obtain building permits and recruiting competent people. craftsmen for their construction projects to avoid the repetition of such disasters.
Body count
He announced that the death toll at the disaster site had risen to 22, of whom 12 were women, including a two-year-old girl, and 10 men.
Eight of the 30 people recovered from the rubble by the search and rescue team are alive.
Six of the survivors had been treated and discharged from the Oda Government Hospital, one was still admitted to the same center, while the other victim had been transferred to St Joseph Hospital in Koforidua for intensive care.
Mr. Agyemang Prempeh thanked the search and rescue team, consisting of staff from NADMO, the National Ambulance Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the police and soldiers from the 48th Engineer Regiment and the War College of the Achiase Forest, as well as volunteers from the neighboring communities, for landlord work in the four-day rescue operation.
He also expressed his gratitude to the numerous media outlets that gave extensive coverage of the operation.
Mr. Agyemang Prempeh described the disaster as sad and expressed his deepest condolences for the families who lost their relatives in the incident.
He specifically commended the Minister of the Eastern Region, Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour, for abandoning his many duties to spend his time with the search and rescue team for four days to provide the necessary support in the operation.
He also commended Asene-Manso-Akroso District Executive Director (DCE), Mr. Alex Incoom, for mobilizing the human and material resources necessary for the operation.
Investigation
The NADMO Director General asked the DCE to establish an investigative team to find the perpetrators of the disaster and recommend appropriate punitive measures to discourage similar acts that could cause disasters.
He also urged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to stop all real estate developers who erected buildings without obtaining proper building permits or used substandard building materials, saying: “the government cannot continue to waste scarce national resources on disasters. due to the negligence of irresponsible people ”.
He urged the Asene-Manso-Akroso District Assembly to take care of the medical expenses of a disaster victim admitted to St Joseph Hospital, who demanded a down payment of ¢ 3,500 GH before treating his broken legs.
Mr. Agyeman Prempeh announced that his team would recruit Mr. Kwabena Boahene, also known as Cote D’Ivoire, an Oda-based taxi driver, to lead the rescue of the 30 people trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building and place him in the NADMO headquarters to assist in future disasters.
Present at the press conference were the Director of Inspection at NADMO Headquarters in Accra, Mr. Richard Amo Lartey; the leader of the 48th Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kwame Mfum; Achiase Jungle Warfare School Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Amoah; the DCE of Asene-Manso-Akroso, Mr. Incoom; Mr. Daniel Allotey and Chief Superintendent Daniel Amoako, the Oda Municipal Fire Officer and the Oda Divisional Police Commander respectively.
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