No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium 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 gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
