At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, 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 show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.