At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
