At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals 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 hope of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.