At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
