No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were injured, among them five who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
