No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, including 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives typically draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.