No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered 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 others were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
