At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
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 main city, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
