The two hundred and ten(210) Rescue team made up of personnel from the National Disaster Management Organization, NADMO, Military, Ghana National Fire Service, Police, Ambulance Service, BNI, GHS, National Security and some volunteers have ended search and rescue operations at the collapsed Church building disaster at Akyem Batabi in the Eastern Region after four days of work.
A total of 30 victims were retrieved throughout the operation out of which 22 were dead and 8 survivors.
The deceased is made up of 12 women, 9 men, and a girl child.
The Ghana Air Force provided the sniffer dogs on the last operation day of Friday to check for possible bodies covered by the debris.
The team searched thoroughly for the last victim- a woman reported missing but was not found under the rubbles hence Church leaders have been asked to inform the National Disaster Management Organisation, NADMO, whenever they smell a stench from the disaster scene.
The Director-General of the NADMO, Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh commended the rescue team for making the operation a success though unfortunate that 22 persons lost their lives.
He charged municipal and district Assemblies to intensify their monitoring mechanism on buildings under construction to avert the reoccurrence of such disaster.
Background
The collapse of the uncompleted three-storey Church building occurred Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at about 2:30pm.
A survivor disclosed that they were fasting and praying for their Leader and Founder of the Church of Prosperity Prophet Akoa Isaac, who has been sick for some time now but took a break to rest under the uncompleted three-storey Church building however it suddenly caved in.
Thirteen (13) victims were extricated on the first day of the rescue mission out of which 6 -all females were dead, one (1) was in critical condition while 6 victims namely Adu Godfred, 21, Erasmus Larnor, 25, Elizabeth Toot, 18, Bridget Birorey, 59, Jonas Larnor, 45, and Charity Addison, 38 have been treated and discharged by the Oda Government Hospital.
According to the local Police, the Founder of Church of Prosperity, Prophet Isaac Ofori is popularly known as Akoa Isaac, was arrested to assist Police with the investigation but granted bail.
The founder of the Church Prophet Akoa Isaac has meanwhile told Police that, he was sick and lying in his residence near the Church building when he heard the implosion of the collapsed building.
He said he was told that about 56 worshippers were in and around the building fasting and praying when the incident occurred.
The construction of the collapsed the uncompleted Church building started in 1994 hence experts say its structural integrity was compromised.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah
