No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were hurt, among them five who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
