At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, including five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
