No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
