At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
