At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium 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 release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
