At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
