No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before 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 hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
