No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate additional candidates, as some had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now begun.
