No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country 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 chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now begun.
