Midorse Matilda: Friends Mourn Ghanaian Lady Reportedly Killed in GAF El Wak Stampede
- Social media has been flooded with heartbreaking tributes for Matilda, an alleged victim of the stampede at El-Wak sports stadium on November 12, 2025
- Six people died when a stampede broke out during the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment screening, with many others left injured
- In a statement, the GAF confirmed that the stampede was caused by an unexpected surge of applicants and announced a temporary suspension of the exercise
- In an interview with YEN.com.gh, entertainment journalist and author Vanessa Bless Nordzi reacted to the tragedy
Friends of an alleged victim of the stampede at El-Wak sports stadium have taken to social media to mourn her death, triggering emotional reactions among Ghanaians.
Source: TikTok
Six people died as a result of a stampede that occurred at the El Wak Stadium early on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
Thousands of young Ghanaians assembled at the venue for a screening exercise after applying to join the Ghana Armed Forces.
During the exercise, a stampede broke out that took the lives of the unfortunate six, with many other injured individuals transported to the nearby 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
Following the tragedy, President John Mahama visited the injured at the 37 Military Hospital.
Friends mourn alleged El-Wak victim
In several posts seen by YEN.com.gh on TikTok, friends of one of the alleged victims, Matilda, known on TikTok as Midorse, shared tributes.
TikToker AMG Bengee shared a video with photos of Matilda complaining about the actions of the Ghana Armed Forces.
He wondered why the forms for the military were sold over months yet the screening exercise was scheduled for a single day.
Efya Icey, a close friend, also shared photos of the victim.
"This recruitment thing has taken our beloved from us😭. RIP sis till we meet 😭😭😭💔😢," she said.
Others flooded the comments sections with testimonials about Matilda's lovely and charismatic character, lamenting her sad death.
Below are the TikTok videos of friends mourning Midorse Matilda's sad death.
Ghana Armed Forces reacts to El-Wak tragedy
The Ghana Armed Forces released a statement on social media in reaction to the tragedy at the El-Wak stadium
According to the statement, preliminary investigations indicated that the stampede was caused by an unexpected surge of applicants who flocked to the gates ahead of the scheduled screening.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that the stampede was triggered by an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates ahead of the scheduled screening at about 0620 hours." the statement said.
In a follow-up statement, it announced the temporary suspension of the screening exercise in the Greater Accra Region.
"The Ghana Armed Forces deeply regrets to inform the general public that due to the fatal incident that occurred at the El-Wak Sports Stadium this morning, Wednesday 12 November 2025 as part of the 2025/2026 recruitment exercise, the exercise in Greater Accra has been temporarily suspended. This is to allow for additional measures to ensure a seamless exercise."
A Board of Inquiry was also constituted to unravel the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.
Below is a Facebook post of the Ghana Armed Forces' statement.
Reactions to El-Wak victim’s death
YEN.com.gh compiled some reactions to the news of the tragic death of a Ghanaian lady in the El-Wak exercise.
Salomey🤭💕 said:
"Awww Matilda😭😭😭"
Miles wrote:
"She was just right in front of me herrr 😪😪."
LIL TUNECHI 🫶🏽❤️ commented:
"The qualified applicants are sitting comfortably at home sef 😏."
Birago💗 said:
"Herrrrrrrr Kekeli😭😭😭😭 I talked to her last week yiaa oooo😭😭😭 RIP Kekeli😭😭."
Entertainment journalist reacts to Matilda's death
In an interview with YEN.com.gh, entertainment journalist and author Vanessa Bless Nordzi blamed the Ghana Armed Forces for their role in the sad turn of events.
"We are in a modern era where these things should and could be avoided! I wouldn't blame the applicants but the recruiters for poor management. If they had done the recruitment process in batches, the deaths of these innocent lives would have been avoided," she said.
Source: TikTok
Applicant recounts El-Wak stampede horror
Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that a young applicant spoke about the horror of the the El-Wak stadium stampede.
In a video, she blamed poor crowd control and late gate opening for the fatal incident at the recruitment venue.
Source: YEN.com.gh
