No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before 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 enlistment process has since begun.
