No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
