No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before 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.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
