At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least six individuals 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 "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
