At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
