No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
