No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
