At Least 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
No fewer than six people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, including 5 who remain in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
