At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least six individuals have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who remain 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.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
