No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
