No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
