No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up 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 32%, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.