No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
