At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt 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 President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
