No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
