No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since begun.
