No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time 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 reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
