Supermark op Delareyville in Noordwes stort ineen na haelstorm

Foto: Verskaf deur Rita Johnson

Vyf mense is beseer toe 'n supermark op Delareyville in Noordwes ineengestort het. Die munisipale bestuurder, Dion Mere, sê die gebou het meegegee tydens 'n haelstorm wat met sterk wind gepaardgegaan het. Mere sê twee vroue is met ernstige beserings in die hospitaal opgeneem. Hy sê die munisipaliteit se ingenieursdepartement probeer die oorsaak van die voorval bepaal.

- RSG Nuus

Death toll hits 9, 67 rescued after Ghana mall collapse

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - The death toll following the collapse of a six-storey mall in the Ghanaian capital Accra climbed to nine on Thursday, with at least 67 people so far pulled alive from the rubble, a military official said.

"As of now, we have so far got 76 people, nine of whom unfortunately lost their lives, so we are still going on," Dan Mishio, director general of operations in the Ghana military.

The previous death toll was three, with 51 rescued alive.

An 18-strong search team from Israel was due in the West African nation later Thursday to help with the rescue effort as Ghanaian authorities used concrete cutters and other equipment to clear away debris.

It was not clear how many people were inside the building when it collapsed ahead of opening time on Wednesday. Police had initially said around 50 employees worked there, but the number of people located has far exceeded that.

Source : Sapa/George Herald

Ghana: Accra's Melcom department store collapses

A multi-storey department store has collapsed in the capital of Ghana, Accra, trapping dozens of people in the rubble.

Rescue efforts are continuing, with officials saying that at least four people died in the Melcom store.

The BBC's Sammy Darko, who has visited the scene, says 42 people have been pulled out alive.

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama said he had suspended his campaign for next month's election.

The government has declared the area in the city's Achimota neighbourhood a disaster zone.

'Terrified'

Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur went to the site and co-ordinated rescue efforts at the building, which opened earlier this year.

As night fell, hundreds of rescuers continued to dig through the rubble, amid fears that more people were trapped.

Mr Amissah-Arthur said the building had collapsed shortly before the Melcom store was due to open for business.

Rescue efforts were being hampered by the large crowd that had gathered at the site, he added.

"There's so much noise that it's not possible to hear the trapped people asking for help," Mr Amissah-Arthur said.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Melcom said it had rented the building which housed its Achimota branch on a 10-year lease.

"This is indeed a very tragic incident," it said.

"We are doing everything possible to see that help reaches those who need it. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies goes to the families of those who may have lost their lives."

Our reporter says customers often queue outside the store before it opens and officials say they believe about 50 people may been inside at the time of the collapse.

Eyewitness Ama Okyere told the AFP news agency she was very close to the shopping centre when the building came down.

"I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shopping mall in the area."

Family members tried to call relatives feared trapped beneath the rubble on their mobile phones, AFP reported.

Another witness, John Owusu, said he heard a bang before the building collapsed.

President Mahama, in a tweet moments after the building collapsed, said: "My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the Achimota Melcom building."

He has cut short his campaign in the north of the country and has flown back to Accra to see the rescue effort.

- BBC

Dozens feared trapped in Ghana shopping mall collapse

A six-storey shopping mall collapsed in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Wednesday and dozens of victims were feared trapped in the rubble, sparking desperate rescue bids, witnesses said.

One employee at the scene, who declined to be named, estimated around 40 workers were in the building when it collapsed, though he was not sure about the number of customers.

Family members gathered at the scene trying to phone relatives they feared might be trapped there, as scores of rescue workers sought to clear debris and get oxygen masks to victims.

"My son, my son, my son! My son is going to die! Get him for me! He is my only son!" one woman screamed.

An AFP correspondent witnessed four people being brought out of the rubble alive. The cause of the collapse of the Melcom shopping centre was not immediately clear.

President John Dramani Mahama issued a brief statement through his Twitter account.

"My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Achimota Melcom building," it said.

Some time later another tweet from his account said he was suspending his election campaign ahead of December 7 polls due to the disaster.

Police had rushed to the scene and were still seeking to confirm details as a large crowd gathered at the site. Soldiers arrived to help maintain order.

"The issue is still fresh," Assistant Superintendent Juliana Obeng told AFP. "They are still working to get to the root of the building. Meanwhile we have sent ambulances to the scene."

Witness Ama Okyere told AFP that "I was very close to the mall because I was going to buy something only for me to see the building coming down.

"I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shoping mall in the area."

Another witness said he heard a bang followed by the building falling in.

"I was on my way to school and all of a sudden heard a big bang and people shouting, only for me to see that the shopping mall has collapsed," said another witness, John Owusu.

The building in the capital of the West African nation of some 20 million people includes a number of shops selling various types of consumer goods.

The Melcom Group of Companies, based in Ghana, includes extensive retail outlets, according to its website.

Ghana, a major producer of gold and cocoa which began significant oil production in 2010, is viewed as a success story in often turbulent West Africa and a rare example of a relatively stable democracy in the region.

- AFP/Times Live

Two dead after Johannesburg building collapse

Johannesburg - Two men died after a second collapse at a condemned building on the corner of Jeppe and End streets in Johannesburg on Thursday, paramedics said.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeffrey Wicks said the second and third floor of the building collapsed.

"Two men were inside the building and were crushed underneath the rubble," he said.

On March 21, a man was injured when a section of the building collapsed.

In February, a fire ripped through the building and people stole the steel support beams from the structure, which may have caused that collapse.


- SAPA/News24

Four hurt in Durban CBD store collapse

Four people have been hurt after a mezzanine level in a Durban store collapsed on them.

The Fire Department's Trevor Stevens says the wooden structure came crashing down in a small clothing store in Bond Street in the CBD.

"It appears to be an unstable structure, we have - as the Fire Department - closed the shop and prevented them from operating. It is a temporary closure until they get a structural engineer to certify the mezzanine, or they remove it completely," he said.

Meanwhile ER24's Derrick Banks says paramedics arrived to find material and garments strewn across the store.

"The patients were already outside of the shop when we arrived. Four people were injured and were treated and stabilised on the scene before being taken to hospital."

- East Coast Radio