No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
