No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
