At Least Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
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 President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
