No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 individuals have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events typically draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
