No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
