At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
