No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
