GES directs closure of nearby school after building collapse at Accra New Town kills 3

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has ordered the immediate suspension of academic activities at the Accra Newtown Experimental D/A School following the collapse of a nearby building that left three people dead and several others injured.

The directive, issued after a high-level safety inspection at the school, effectively bars students from returning to campus until structural assessments are completed and authorities are satisfied that the environment is safe.

The Director-General of the GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said the Service would convene an emergency meeting with technical experts to determine the fate of the school’s facilities in the aftermath of the incident.

“We are going to work with the regional and national teams, including the estate department, to ensure that the remaining structures are safe for use. If they are not, we will advise students to avoid those areas,” he said in an interview with Citi FM.

The precautionary move follows Sunday’s collapse of an uncompleted multi-storey structure within the premises of the school at Accra New Town, where a congregation had gathered for worship at the time of the incident.

The structure, which had reportedly been converted into a makeshift church, gave way during a heavy rainstorm, trapping 23 people beneath the debris.

Emergency teams led by the Ghana National Fire Service responded swiftly after receiving a distress call at about 5:01 p.m., launching a rescue operation that extended into the night under floodlights.

Twenty people were pulled alive from the rubble and transported to various health facilities, while three others — two females and one male — were confirmed dead.

Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak said the revised death toll was established after extensive verification across hospitals and emergency response teams.

“So far, information that has been cross-checked, double-checked, visited all the hospitals, just to be sure that we don’t give any information that may be far away from the fact,” he said.

He noted that although it was difficult to immediately determine how many people had been inside the building, coordinated data from security and health agencies helped confirm the figures.

“What we can say is that there was a total of 23 people. Unfortunately, we’ve lost three - a male and two females. They’re not able to tell names for now,” he disclosed.

The Minister added that the 20 survivors are currently receiving treatment at the Police Hospital, Mamobi Polyclinic and a private facility.

“And thank God, 20 are alive in various hospitals - the Police Hospital, Mamobi and a private facility,” he said.

He further indicated that women and minors made up a significant proportion of those affected, although none of the deceased were minors.

“Out of the 23, the total number of females amongst them is 15, with eight males. Out of this, we have seven minors, but those who have lost their lives, there’s no minor,” he stated.

The incident has triggered renewed concern over the proximity of unsafe structures to learning environments, with education authorities now prioritising safety checks before allowing students to return.

Rescue efforts, involving the police, fire service, National Disaster Management Organisation and National Ambulance Service, continued amid fears that additional victims could still be trapped beneath the debris.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.