At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least six people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope 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 recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
