By Simon Agbovi
Kasoa (C/R), Aug 26, GNA – Two tragic incidents hit the Kasoa New Market over the weekend, claiming three lives and destroying wares worth millions of cedis on Saturday and Sunday.
In the first incident, a dormitory building under construction collapsed on Saturday, resulting in the death of three individuals, including two vocational students and a carpenter.
Five others sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment at the hospital.
Joemens Kpormetey Zonal Council Officer of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr. Christopher Appiah, said in an interview that workers were engaged in concrete works on the second floor when the building suddenly caved way.
Preliminary investigations, he stated confirmed that the builder had not acquired the necessary permit for construction.
He said it also came out that the building materials were substandard.
In a related development on Sunday, August 25, a fire outbreak destroyed more than 80 stores and sheds at the Kasoa New Market.
The fire was suspected to had started from a gas cylinder explosion that spread rapidly to other areas.
A security guard, Mr. Joseph Amoah recounted how he heard a loud blast during a routine patrol, followed by the inferno which destroyed property belonging to traders who sell various goods, including groceries, foodstuffs, and hardware.
Mr Appiah said it was suspected that the fire could have been caused by a lingering fire because the starting point was in a non-electrical area.
He called on traders and smokers to desist from cooking and sleeping in their stores and stop from smoking in the market.
GNA