No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than six individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" event appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and frequently result in disorderly situations.
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.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place before 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 reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
