At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
