At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
