No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
