No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
