No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
