At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
