At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
