At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
