At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
