At Least 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
