The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has said the Building Inspectorate Department is to blame for the recent collapse of a church building in the Eastern Region that has so far claimed nine lives.

The Bureau said the Department has failed to ascertain the structural condition of the over two decades old building.

Speaking on behalf of the Bureau, Sampson Deklu, an architect, said that to avert similar happenings in the near future, there should be an assessment of such weak buildings across the country.

“Moving forward, we will ask the Building Inspectorate Department of the Assembly to ensure that evaluations are run on all buildings of akin condition, to certify their state of safety for occupants,” he said.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the collapse of the building that housed the Church of Prosperity has risen to nine.

Rescuers are still searching for persons trapped under the debris, according to a report by state-owned Daily Graphic.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Lieutenant General Obed Akwa, has visited the scene of the incident and has promised to mobilise more excavators for the task, according to the Daily Graphic.