No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
