No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
