No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.