At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
