No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
