No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
