No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications 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 stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
