No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
