No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt 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.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
