No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up 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 approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
