No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
