No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now started.
