At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
