A three-storey building that was being used as a makeshift church in Ghana collapsed on worshippers, killing two women and a man, according to the BBC.
The incident occurred on March 29 in Accra, the capital, and left at least 20 other worshippers with injuries, reported the BBC.
It quoted Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak as saying that most of the victims were women and children and had been treated in various hospitals.
There was a “90-95% certainty” that no-one remains trapped inside, he added, according to the BBC.
He said investigations were under way, but the cause of its collapse, which happened after heavy rain, is unknown.
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One witness told the BBC the building looked like it “could fall anytime”.
Emergency teams worked through the night under floodlights searching for victims inside the structure’s remains.
The building, part of a school in Accra’s New Town area, was being used despite lying unfinished for several years, the BBC reported, citing local people.
“It’s a very sad day for all of us,” Mohammed-Mubarak said.
He acknowledged that it had been difficult to determine how many people had been in the building at the time of its collapse and commended emergency responders for their quick response.
The national fire service posted images on X of workers at the site as an agitated crowd milled around the scene
A man who runs a business opposite the building said he first heard some noise from behind him and when he turned round, he saw the building coming down.
“There was dust. I couldn’t see anything from the back,” Amadu Mohammed Hafiz told the BBC.
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He then heard people shouting from inside the building and called police, who arrived at the scene afterwards.
Other eyewitnesses described the incomplete building as poorly constructed with no major maintenance since construction started.
“Everybody in the community knows the building is very weak, yet they allowed services and activities inside,” an eyewitness said.
Operations to check for any more worshippers are continuing and the debris is being cleared.
The incident has reignited the debate about the structural integrity of some of the buildings in Ghana.
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