At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
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 visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
