No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment 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," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
