At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during 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 "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
