No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds 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 challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
