At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
