“I Heard a Pillar Fall and I Ran” — Eyewitness Recounts Narrow Escape From Avenor Building Collapse
A man who narrowly cheated death in Sunday’s building collapse at Avenor in North Kaneshie has described the chilling moments before the structure came down — revealing that a cracking pillar gave him just enough warning to flee before the entire building caved in.
Speaking to Channel One TV’s Jude Duncan at the scene, the visibly shaken eyewitness said he heard a loud sound from one of the building’s supporting pillars and instinctively bolted for the exit seconds before the collapse occurred on June 7.
“I heard a pillar fall and I ran out of the building before everything came down. There were three people in there and there was one person who also jumped out and broke his ribs and was taken to the hospital. This is a building for many businesses and I am hurt by the death of the one person,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion.
His account points to early signs of structural failure that briefly opened a window of escape for some of those inside — though not everyone was fortunate enough to make it out in time.
The collapsed structure, located opposite the Ashfoam showroom and adjacent to Melcom Plus, is believed to have housed several businesses and a mosque, making the potential number of occupants at the time of the incident a significant concern for rescuers.
At least one person has been confirmed dead, while others are still feared buried beneath the rubble as Ghana National Fire Service personnel and supporting agencies press on with search and rescue operations.
Authorities are yet to release a full account of the total number of casualties or confirm how many people were inside the building when it collapsed.
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