At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
