At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
