Ghana marks 16th anniversary of May 9 Accra stadium disaster

Ghana will commemorate the 16th anniversary of the May 9 Accra Sports Stadium disaster today with a wreath-laying ceremony which starts at 8.30am at the Accra Sports Stadium.

This will be preceded by a short memorial service at the RLG Hathiramani Sports Hall where the Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah is expected to be in attendance.

Representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ghana Football Association, Accra Hearts of Oak, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and the families of the bereaved fans will also lay wreaths in memory of the victims as part of the ceremony.

The disaster, described as the worst in the history of African football, occurred as a result of a stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium when police fired volleys of tear gas into the stands to control crowd violence in the aftermath of a league match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko on May 9, 2001.

The disturbances occurred after Hearts scored two late goals to defeat Kotoko 2-1.

The stampede resulted in the death of 127 fans.