At Least 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
