At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two 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 capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
