No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 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 hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
