At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.