At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
