At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least six people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
