At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
