No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who remain 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 military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
