No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
