Avenor Building Collapse Death Toll Rises to Three as Survivor Succumbs to Injuries
The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey building at Avenor in North Kaneshie has climbed to three after one of the survivors pulled from the rubble lost the battle for life while receiving treatment at hospital, Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey has confirmed.
The building came down in the early hours of Sunday, June 7, 2026, trapping four people beneath the debris. Rescue teams initially recovered two survivors and rushed them to hospital, while two others were pronounced dead at the scene.
The subsequent death of one of those survivors has now raised the fatality count to three. Among the deceased, the Mayor disclosed, is the owner of a Mothercare shop that operated within the building.
The four-storey structure, believed to have been built around 2020 or 2021, housed both commercial and residential occupants at the time of its collapse.
Preliminary assessments by engineers from the Ghana Institute of Engineers have painted a troubling picture of the building’s construction.
Investigators observed what appeared to be substandard concrete that may not have met the minimum compressive strength required to support a structure of that height, and found indications that the building may never have obtained a permit from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly — meaning no approved architectural or engineering plans guided its construction.
Structural Engineer Emmanuel Aidoo, who inspected the site, was emphatic that buildings of such scale demand rigorous professional oversight from the ground up.
“These structures have to be engineered. You can’t just use your mind to construct such buildings. It’ll come back and haunt you,” he said.
Authorities have yet to establish the definitive cause of the collapse, with further investigations including concrete sampling and structural modelling expected before a final report is issued.
The Avenor tragedy is the second fatal building collapse in Accra within the space of a single week, following an incident at Adenta New Site on June 3 that killed one person and injured four others.
Together, the two disasters have sharpened public anger and intensified pressure on authorities to enforce building permit regulations more rigorously, conduct routine structural inspections and hold accountable those whose negligence puts lives at risk.
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