No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply 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 took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
