At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
