At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six people have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.
