Melcom remembers 2012 disaster victims
Melcom Group of Companies has organised a memorial service to mark the second year anniversary of the disaster that claimed the lives of 13 workers of the company.
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During the ceremony, which was attended by workers and families of the deceased, prayers were said for the souls of the deceased and to thank God for his mercies in the past years.
Mostly dressed in white clothing, the workers and the families sang hymns and prayed for the workers and the company, while others stood quiet in a pensive mood.
As the bell tolled and the names of the deceased were mentioned, some survivors of the disaster shed tears, while others held each other closely .
The Melcom Disaster
On November 7, 2012, a six-storey building at Achimota rented by Melcom collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 81 others.
The incident brought the country to a standstill as security personnel including officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) , the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the National Ambulance Service worked day and night to rescue people from the debris.
An eight-member rescue team from Israel also came to the country to help with the rescue operation.
Lesson learnt
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Communications Director of Melcom Group of Companies, Mr Godwin Avenorgbo, said the company had learnt from its mistakes and had since put in place strategies to avert such occurrences.
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He said the company no longer took keen interest in the size, beauty or location of a building, but rather the condition of the building which was usually determined by a structural engineer.
“So for all our premises, we have contracted engineers to examine the buildings and approve their safety for business,” he said.
Mr Avenorgbo said structural integrity tests by accredited structural engineers had been conducted on all rented buildings housing Melcom shops, to ensure the safety of customers and staff .
He, therefore, assured the workers of a safe working environment, saying, “Nobody expected this to happen; nobody could imagine it, so there was an element of shock and trauma among the workers.
He said the company had since provided scholarships to brilliant but needy children of the workers of the company, adding that this year, 10 more children were sponsored under the scheme.
Mr Avenorgbo also reaffirmed the company’s commitment to sponsoring at least one child of each of the deceased workers to the highest level of education.
Children of staff who also qualify under the competitive Melcom Education Scholarship Scheme, would also benefit from primary to tertiary level, he added.
Compensations paid
On staff compensations, Mr Avenorgbo said the company had concluded payments as determined by the medical authorities and labour office under the Workman’s Compensation Act to all staff who were affected by the disaster.
He assured the residents of Achimota that the company would endeavour to re-establish a branch of Melcom in the area as soon as “we succeed in our search for land or building that can house a new Achimota Branch shop”.
Mr Avenorgbo thanked Ghanaians for their support and encouragement throughout the period of the disaster.
He, however, expressed disappointment that since the event happened, justice had still not been served as the case was still pending in court.