At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.