No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
