No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
