The government has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to a stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium during a recruitment exercise into the Ghana Armed Forces on Wednesday, November 12.
The Ministry of Defence has, therefore, temporarily suspended the ongoing recruitment exercise at the Accra Centre, until further notice.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Acting Minister of Defence, who told Parliament on Wednesday, said while the Accra Centre’s recruitment process remains on hold, other recruitment centres across the region will continue to operate.
The Minister confirmed that there were 34 direct casualties involved in the stampede.
The breakdown of the casualties are as follows: Six individuals lost their lives, five remain in critical condition and currently receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the 37 Military Hospital, 12 are classified as fairly critical, requiring close medical attention whilst the remaining victims are in stable condition but remain under observation.
Dr Forson indicated that the Ghana Armed Forces had also instituted internal board investigation into the incident.
The Minister assured the public of the government’s commitment to collaborate with the Military and other security agencies to ensure that the injured were properly taken care of.
He noted that the safety and dignity of the people remained paramount and would take every step to prevent the incident recurring.
Dr Forson pledged the government’s support for the families of the deceased and medical care for the injured.
He further noted that the Defence Ministry would work closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen crowd management and emergency response systems during future recruitment drives.
The El-Wak Sports Stadium tragedy has sparked widespread grief across the nation, with many Ghanaians calling for accountability and reforms in the recruitment process.
Source: GNA
The post Government halts military recruitment exercise in Accra Centre after stampede appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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