No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including five who are in serious state.
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 thirty-two percent, the latest official data show, and such recruitment events normally attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
