At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
