At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
