At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush 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 five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place 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 injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
