At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.