No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before 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.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
