No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have died amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 others were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this recruitment was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.
