No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were injured, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
