President Mahama directs senior government officials, security chiefs to coordinate rescue efforts at collapsed Melcom building

Accra, Nov. 7, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama has directed key officials of the government and security services to coordinate rescue efforts at the collapsed building at Achimota that housed the Melcom Shopping Centre.   An official statement signed by John Abdulai Jinapor, Presidential Spokesperson, said the President has directed the Vice President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, the Chief of Staff, Mr John Martey Newman the Interior and Defence Ministers and the Security Chiefs to supervise and coordinate the rescue efforts.   The statement said President Mahama had suspended his campaign tour of the Upper East Region and was heading to the site of the collapsed 5-storey building in Achimota.   It said the President was minutes away from his first point of call, Bawku, when he received briefing from the Chief of Staff on the incident.   “The President was informed about the collapse of the building a short while ago and he is returning to Accra immediately,” a source close to the president told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) earlier.   The the president’s convoy, which was close to Bawku, turned around to return to Bolgatanga, the regional capital.   A text message to Castle correspondents from Mr Jinapor read: “The President has suspended his campaign in the wake of trapped persons in the collapse of the Achiomota Melcom building.” The president was due to visit Bawku, Garu Tampe, Zebila and Binduri among others on Wednesday. Initial reports say several people are trapped in the rubble when the building collapsed.   A number of people are feared to have been killed. Rescue teams are at the site trying to reach survivors. There is no official figure of the dead as yet.   GNA... Read Full Story