No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
