KNUST closes swimming pool after death of Level 300 student

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has closed its swimming pool temporarily following the death of a Level 300 student, David Osei Agyapong.

The third-year Chemical Engineering student died on Saturday, November 7, 2026, after reportedly entering the water from one of the pool's upper diving boards but failing to resurface.

According to the University, pool attendants retrieved him from the water after a few minutes and rushed him to the KNUST Hospital for emergency medical attention. Efforts to resuscitate him were, however, unsuccessful.

Speaking in an interview, the University's Relations Officer, Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, said management had constituted a nine-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The committee's work will run alongside Police investigations as the University seeks to establish what led to the student's death.

Dr Bekoe said the investigation was particularly important as no marks or cuts were found on the deceased's body.

The Police are separately investigating the incident, while the student's body has been deposited at the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) morgue pending an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

In the meantime, the University has suspended activities at the swimming pool until further notice as investigations continue.

Management has extended its condolences to the bereaved family, friends, teammates, and colleagues of the deceased, appealing to the public to respect the family's privacy and refrain from speculation while the investigations are ongoing.