No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
