Dozens of people are feared trapped in a six-storey shopping centre that collapsed in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
Rescue workers on Wednesday pulled at least six people from the rubble, one of them dead and the rest injured, as large crowds gathered to watch.
Excavators were trying to lift and remove the building's broken beams and concrete blocks.
The building collapsed less than an hour after it opened for the day.
The National Disaster Management Organisation said about 50 people were inside the Melcom shooping centre at the time.
Melcom Ltd said it rented the building in the suburb of Achimota and opened a retail department store there about six months ago.
President John Dramani Mahama cut short an election campaign trip in the north of the country and flew back to Accra to focus on the rescue efforts. Elections are due in December.
