At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, including five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of 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 hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
