At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush 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 wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
