A young man whose mother is among the three confirmed dead in the Accra New Town building collapse has shared a heartbreaking account of how he received the news.

Speaking with Accra-based TV3 on Monday, March 30, 2026, he narrated that his mother was at home on Sunday morning when he left for church around 7 AM.

According to him, she was still asleep at the time.

He explained that while in a church meeting, he started getting several calls from his siblings. When he finally answered, he was informed about the collapse of the building where his mother had gone for service.

“I actually left home early in the morning around 7AM for church. She was asleep by then when I left. Later in the afternoon, I saw my phone ringing several times. There was a call from my senior brother, but I was in a church meeting so I couldn’t pick it up.

"I also realised my younger sister was calling me repeatedly. When I finally returned her call, she told me the building where my mother’s church was located had collapsed. I was confused — collapsed, how? She insisted that was what had happened,” he narrated.

The young gentleman further revealed a surprising detail of how his 17-year-old sister, who usually attends that church on Sundays, refused to go that very day.

According to him, after his sister declined, their mother left home in anger and went to church alone.

He added that it was later that his sister heard about the collapse of the Accra New Town Experimental D/A School building, where their mother had gone for service.

“My mother had wanted to go with our last born, who is 17 years, but she refused despite being urged several times. Out of frustration, my mother left her behind and went to church alone. While at home, my sister heard a loud noise across the street and people shouting that the church building had collapsed during service. She knew our mother was inside and rushed to the scene. The building had indeed collapsed, and some local boys were trying to rescue those trapped.”

“… I was at Dansoman at the time, so I called my senior brother to confirm. When I arrived, the whole street was filled with people, and rescue teams were working to save those trapped,” he added.

When asked if he saw his mother at the scene of the tragedy, the young man said, with deep sorrow, that he did not. Instead, he said he only met her body at the hospital mortuary.

He added that his 17-year-old sister has been inconsolable since the incident, crying constantly and struggling to come to terms with the loss of their mother.

“I only got to see my mom in the mortuary. She had been rescued unconscious, but by then she was already gone. My sister has been crying ever since, watching videos and pictures of our mother on her phone, talking to her as if she were still alive.

"My mother was 58, a devoted Christian, cheerful, and loved by many. I am still struggling to come to terms with her death,” he further disclosed.

VKB/AE

Newtown School Collapse: Emergency teams rescue victims; Haruna Iddrisu spotted at scene