No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least six individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
