No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said 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 injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
