No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration 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 often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
