No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining 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 closing date to apply for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
