At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
