No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede 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.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
