At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
