No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
