An engineer investigating the collapse of a three-storey building at Avenor in North Kaneshie says the structure appears to have been constructed without a building permit from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

Prince Kas-Avotri, an engineer with the Ghana Institute of Engineering, disclosed while speaking to journalists at the scene of Sunday's collapse, which killed two people and left two others hospitalised.

"From what we are hearing, it looks like the assembly has not given out any permit," he said. "We are here to confirm that fully, but the building has no permit."

Kas-Avotri explained the significance of that finding — a building constructed without a permit means no approved architectural or engineering plans were in place to guide the work.

"If a building has no permit, it means that there are no planned works signed by an architect or a built environment specialist or an engineer for the construction to go on," he said.

He cautioned, however, that investigations are still at an early stage.

"We are still in the preliminary stage. We picked some samples here. We'll go and do some tests. We'll do some models, and then we'll come out with the actual findings of what has gone on," Kas-Avotri said, adding that he could not yet conclusively state the cause of the collapse.

Part of the investigation will examine whether the building was constructed in line with any approved plans — though the apparent absence of a permit complicates that process significantly.

The collapse occurred in the early hours of Sunday, June 7, triggering a large-scale emergency response involving the Ghana National Fire Service, NADMO, the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Armed Forces. Rescue and excavation operations have since been concluded.

It is the second building collapse recorded in Accra within a week. On June 3rd, a building came down at Adenta New Site following heavy rainfall, killing one person and injuring four others.

The back-to-back incidents have renewed calls for stricter enforcement of building regulations and permit requirements across the capital.