No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
