At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.