At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
