No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least six people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
