At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
