No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
