Typical in Ghana, tragedies hardly occur in the capital city of Accra. Natural disasters like cyclones, hurricanes or earthquakes are unknown here. Mishaps that occur here mainly result from man made errors.
The May 9 2011 disasters at the Accra sports stadium was occasioned by rowdy supporters after disputation of a goal. The incensed crowd hauled objects onto the field in protest. The Police responded with tear gas but because the gates were locked, the fleeing spectators didn’t have an exit to escape so a stampede occurred. 126 people died. It was the worst stadium tragedy in Africa.
The Circle twin disaster
On June 3rd, 2015, a heavy downpour which lasted close to 5 hours flooded the Kwame Mkrumah Circle. Whilst the floods ravaged lives and property including wrecking vehicles , the GOIL filling station erupted into flames after a tanker exploded. The resulting explosion leaked gasoline within the periphery of the station. The leakage resulted in flames which eventually killed 150 people. The Circle disaster is deemed the worst tragedy to befall the state of Ghana.
The Labadi gas explosion
Labadi is a community in the south of the capital of Ghana. It had a gas refill station near the Zenith College at Tse Addo. In December 2016, whilst customers were awaiting service, the gas reservoir tank exploded, killing 5 people instantly and injuring 42 others.
May 9th stadium stampede
On May 9, 2001, the Accra Sport Stadium tragedy took place at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana. It claimed 126 lives. On May 9, 2001, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana’s most successful football side, and Asante Kotoko faced off at Hearts of Oak’s home field, the Accra Sports Stadium. Authorities had put in place additional security measures, such as placing riot-control police officers at the stadium, in anticipation of crowd unrest. Disappointed Kotoko supporters threw plastic seats and bottles onto the field after Accra scored two late goals and the referee ruled 2–1 Accra.
In response, the on-scene police fired tear gas shells into the throng. As spectators attempted to escape the irritating odors, a panic and stampede broke out. The stadium’s flawed design created a bottleneck with fewer exits than anticipated, and many of the arena’s gates had been sealed. Architects from the Ghana Institute dubbed the stadium a “death trap.” Following the hour-long experience, it was discovered that 10 fans died from trauma and 116 perished from compressive asphyxia.