No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
