No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have died during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
