At Least 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
