No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred 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 since begun.
