At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, including five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
