No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred 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.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
