No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
