Eighteen people are now known to have been killed while 69 were pulled out alive at the Melcom store building disaster.

The combined rescue team, which has been working to rescue victims from the huge pile of rubble since the disaster struck at the Achimota Melcom shop on Wednesday, has been able to work its way to the staircase and ground floor of the collapsed building.

It has accordingly slowed down work, threading more cautiously in order not to endanger any life should there be any more survivors.

With the help of officials of the shop, the team is trying to locate specific sections where staff were located on the morning of November 7, 2012, when the shopping centre collapsed.

In particular, the rescue team wants to reach where some staff had congregated for morning devotion before the tragedy struck.

The six-storey shopping centre, which served the Achimota and surrounding communities in Accra, came down shortly before it opened to the public that morning.

So far, about 50% of the rubble has been removed from the top of the pile.