At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.