No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.