No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
