No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 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 military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
