The death toll of the Melcom disaster has now risen to 18 following the discovery of nine more bodies on Thursday evening. One of the victims is a pregnant woman.

The discovery follows the intensification of rescue efforts at the Melcom disaster site at Achimota-Neoplan in Accra, with the arrival of an eight-man rescue team from Israel.

The arrival of the team is in fulfillment of an earlier promise made by the Israeli government after the news of the disaster broke on Wednesday.

According to a Citi Fm reporter Betty Kankam Boadi, the rescue team struggled to retrieve the bodies beneath the rubble.

She noted that four of the victims are buried under slabs of stones.