No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
