At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
