At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, 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 show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
