No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract 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 a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
