No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
