No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days 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 event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
