At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said 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.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
