At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.