No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
