No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, 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 official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
