No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
