No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
