At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
