No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
