The Salvation Army Responds to Building Collapse in Ghana

Nov 9, 2012

As many as nine lose their lives in department store collapse

Upon hearing news of the collapse of a six-story department store in the suburb of Achimota in Accra, Ghana, a team of Salvation Army staff was dispatched from territorial headquarters with a supply of drinks and snacks for emergency services personnel.

Public Relations Secretary Major Justice Incoom was warmly received at the site by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, who was coordinating the rescue effort. The major was told that many of the police, fire ambulance and military personnel had been working at the scene of the accident for several hours without any provision of food or drink.

News emerged that the building had collapsed without warning as some 50 staff at the Melcom store were conducting morning devotions immediately prior to the opening of the shop, meaning that almost all those buried were in one location. At the time of writing, nine people are reported to have lost their lives, with more than 60 people rescued.

Major Incoom says that, upon sight of his uniform, the vehicle in which his team was travelling was waved through the security cordon, enabling supplies to be taken directly to those working to reach people still trapped beneath the rubble.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org. 

Salvation Army operations began in Ghana in 1922 when Lieutenant King Hudson was commissioned to “open fire” in his home town of Duakwa. Ensign and Mrs. Charles Roberts were appointed to pioneer the Army’s work in Accra. Work in neighboring Togo was officially recognized on April 1, 2011.

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