At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
