No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
