No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
