At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
