No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.