No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
