Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister of Presidential Affairs told the Accra Stadium Disaster Commission on Friday that Ghana's preparedness for disasters is totally inadequate.

The minister said the number of casualties on May nine would have reduced considerably if there were a rapid deployment force to evacuate the victims immediately or offered them first aid on the spot.

Led in evidence by Mr Miguel Ribeiro, Counsel to the Commission, Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said the President has consequently ordered that the Armed Forces must be provided with facilities to enable them to respond quickly to disasters.

He said the equipment of the Rapid Response Unit would include helicopters with lights beneath to illuminate disaster areas and ambulances with medics to cater for victims.

Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said, henceforth all cadet corps members would be given adequate training in first aid to enable them to assist in cases of emergency.

The minister told the commission that the government has drawn up a contingency plan on disasters and appointed a new director for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to implement the plan.

On the Accra Sports Stadium, the minister said he found the exit gates very narrow while the stairwells were very slippery.

Mr Obetsebi Lamptey further told the commissioners that the Accra Sports Stadium was in danger of collapsing as it was constructed on clay, which made the structures rise during the rainy season and sink again during the dry season.

Asked by the GNA after his evidence how he came by the information, the Minister said "I was informed by officials from NADMO and it is alarming."

He said based on his information, the walls of the stadium would crack and the structures would eventually sink or crumble.

Narrating his experiences on the night of May nine, Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said "most of the victims were tangled and it was unfortunate that the greater number of people who were there hindered rescue operation."

"Some of them were good, some were rogues and others were passive. My pocket was ripped and one of my cell phones was stolen."

He said most of the victims were buried under the heap of bodies, which tumbled over them from the higher stairs.

The minister told the commission that there was total indiscipline at the hospitals and it made the work of medical personnel very difficult.

Moved by the minister's narration, Professor Agyemang Badu Akossa, President of the Ghana Medical Association and member of the Commission advised Mr Obetsebi Lamptey to seek medical counselling in order to erase the horrific memory of May nine.