No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian 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 Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
