No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining 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 attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
