No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge 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 five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
