No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative 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 visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
