Security personnel at the site of the broken down building
The Techiman Municipal Assembly has suspended two officials over the collapse of a 3-storey building at Wa Station that claimed the life of one person yesterday dawn.
The Municipal Security Council, with the support of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Security Council, suspended Alfred Osei Berko, the municipal engineer and Isaac Yeboah, the building inspector.
They are to be on suspension until a seven-member committee inaugurated to investigate the cause of the tragedy submits its report.
One person died at the Techiman Market when the 3-storey building under construction collapsed at about 3:30 am and injured two persons.
The deceased, who is yet to be identified, is said to have visited a brother, a security man guarding the building.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), John Kofi Donyina, with immediate effect, has also suspended the construction of buildings at the Techiman Market pending further investigations into the matter. The storey building has 30 stalls in it.
According to one of the security men, Seidu Mumuni, the contractor and his workers were there to work on the building the previous day before it collapsed at dawn.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Kofi Donyina, led the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, to visit the scene of the incident and the Techiman Holy Family Hospital where the injured are currently receiving treatment.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the same hospital morgue.
According to eyewitnesses, passengers and other market dwellers had been sleeping under the building and so could not be certain whether there were people under the debris because the Techiman Municipal Fire Service does not have the capacity to clear the debris.
As at press time, excavators were being sent from Sunyani, the regional capital, to enable rescue workers clear the debris to see whether there were people under it.
The building, which is said to be a public-private partnership project, is being constructed by one Alhaji Dan, who would did not pick his phone when he was called by DAILY GUIDE.
The MCE and the regional minister, after visiting the scene, complained that the construction of the buildings had been shoddily done and so work should stop until further notice.
From Daniel Y Dayee, Techiman
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com