No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" 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 injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
