At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered 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 approximately 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
