At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
