At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six people have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
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.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
