No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
