No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
