No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals 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 seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
