No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
