At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
