No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
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 "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
