9 dead, 69 rescued in Ghana store collapse

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ACCRA, Ghana, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble of a shopping center in Ghana, where a building collapse this week killed at least nine people, officials said.

Faulty construction was blamed for the collapse.

About 69 people had been pulled alive from the ruins of the multistory Melcom store in the capital of Accra since the building came down Wednesday, the BBC reported Friday.

The store was built earlier this year.

Israeli sniffer dogs were combing the site to locate anyone else who might be buried.

Officials said they did not know how many more people might still be inside.

Faulty construction was blamed for the collapse and three nearby buildings built by the same person, Nana Boadu, were evacuated, officials said. Two of the buildings are banks and the third building is occupied by Boadu and his family.

The Ghana Institution of Engineering said Thursday the Melcom building might not have been inspected before opening because no permit could be found.

Boadu disputed that, saying he could provide all of the required paperwork.