Accra: 14 years ago, a six-storey building housing the Achimota Melcom collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 81 others. The incident brought the country to a standstill as security personnel, including officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), and the National Ambulance Service, worked day and night to rescue the victims. Derrick Addo, a survivor, has recounted moments leading up to and during the collapse.
According to Ghana Web, Derrick Addo observed visible warning signs of cracks on the pillars of the building days before the tragedy. In a video sighted by GhanaWeb on March 19, 2026, he stated, "The pillar had already started cracking on Wednesday. When we came to work the next morning, chippings from it had spread on the floor; we stand by it when we have prayer sessions."
Derrick stated that although staff raised concerns about the pillar, no clear action was communicated to them. "The manager took pictures of it and sent it to the office. And I was told some people came by but they didn't really tell us anything. It was the third day or so that the incident happened,' he narrated.
On the day of the collapse, Derrick's attention was fixed on the pillar during the prayer session. "...I was facing the pillar that broke down first, so when he (the manager) came to stand there, a lady brought up a song for us to sing and my eyes were on the pillar that was facing me. It had cracked ... I was just looking at it and she began singing. All of a sudden, some began shouting, within four seconds, the building collapsed,' he recounted.
In the midst of the chaos and loud shouts, Derrick began praying. 'I just started speaking in tongues. And I was shouting out, 'I don't want to go to hell; I want to go to heaven. Jesus. I don't want to go to hell; I want to go to heaven.... My face was facing the ground. And you could feel the things that were falling," Derrick narrated. He later passed out but regained consciousness after a while.
Upon regaining awareness, Derrick realized that some survivors were attempting to escape. 'After a while, maybe 30 minutes to an hour, I realised people were moving. One of them, Prince, was calling others to crawl towards him. But when I tried to move, I realised my leg was stuck. I couldn't get up, so I had to remain there," he added.