At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
