At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
