No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede 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.
