No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
