No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
