At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
