At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
