At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before 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 hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
