A wave of panic and sorrow has gripped thousands of young Ghanaians after a deadly stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra left six people dead and dozens injured during the opening day of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment exercise.
The incident occurred as thousands of applicants surged toward the stadium gates in an attempt to secure entry for screening. According to eyewitnesses, the crowd became uncontrollable as hopeful recruits jostled for space, leading to several people collapsing from suffocation and heat exhaustion.
“I came from Tarkwa hoping for a better future, but after seeing people carried away on stretchers, I’m scared they might not call me back,” one shaken applicant told Happy Kaseɛbɔ.
Emergency services rushed to the scene to provide first aid, while the injured were transported to the 37 Military Hospital and nearby health facilities for treatment. Security personnel were later deployed to restore order and manage the growing crowd of distraught applicants.
The Ghana Armed Forces has since suspended the exercise temporarily to allow for investigations and crowd management reviews.
Many Ghanaians have taken to social media to express condolences and demand accountability, urging authorities to put in place better crowd control and registration systems to prevent such avoidable loss of life.
