At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
