No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium 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.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
