No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
