No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
