By Nadia Ntiamoah
A major construction accident at Roman Ridge in Accra has left at least 14 construction workers severely injured after a three-storey building under construction caved in on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred within the premises of the Architectural Engineering Group near the Ghana Institute of Engineering, sending shockwaves across the city’s construction and engineering community.
According to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the distress call was received at exactly 12:18 p.m., prompting a swift response by a rescue team from its National Headquarters led by Assistant Divisional Officer II Ankrah.
The team arrived at the scene within 11 minutes, at 12:29 p.m., where emergency rescue operations were launched in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service.
The 14 injured workers, all male, were quickly pulled from the debris and rushed to the 37 Military Hospital and Ridge Hospital for emergency medical attention.
Hospital sources confirmed that most of the victims were in critical but stable condition. No fatalities had been recorded as of Tuesday evening.
The collapsed building, reportedly being developed by Fabrico Builders, is part of an ongoing project within the Roman Ridge Engineering Centre, strategically located between a 10-storey high-rise apartment and the Ghana Institute of Engineering.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown, but eyewitnesses described hearing a loud rumble before seeing clouds of dust and workers shouting for help.
In a swift response following the incident, the Ghana National Fire Service has ordered an immediate suspension of all construction activities on the site pending a full technical investigation.
The directive, issued by the GNFS Public Relations Directorate, emphasized that the site manager must ensure full compliance with safety and engineering standards before any work resumes.
“Preliminary investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the collapse and whether structural integrity and safety procedures were duly observed,” the GNFS stated.
“The public will be informed of further developments as the inquiry progresses,” the statement said.
