President John Dramani Mahama has confirmed that all six victims who lost their lives during the tragic stampede at the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment exercise at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra were young women.

He also revealed that a similar incident occurred in Kumasi, where several people sustained injuries during the nationwide recruitment exercise.

Speaking at the launch of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti programme in the Ashanti Region, President Mahama described the tragedy as “heartbreaking” and called for swift measures to prevent future occurrences.

“As I speak to you, six have lost their lives and 12 are injured, and we are praying for a speedy recovery. Top officials in the military tell us that six of our youth, all females, have lost their lives. Also in Kumasi, the same thing happened, and people were injured,” he said.

The President has since directed the Ghana Armed Forces to suspend the ongoing recruitment exercise to allow for investigations into the circumstances that led to the fatalities.

The nationwide exercise, which began earlier in the day, attracted thousands of applicants seeking to join the military, leading to overcrowding and chaotic scenes at several screening centres.

Eyewitnesses at the El-Wak Stadium said the stampede occurred when the gates were opened for entry, triggering a rush among anxious hopefuls.

President Mahama extended his condolences to the bereaved families and assured them that the government would ensure accountability and safety in subsequent recruitment processes.

He also instructed the Defence Ministry and the Military High Command to review their screening and crowd management procedures before resuming the exercise.