No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
