No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, including five 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.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
