No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.