At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
