No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals 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 appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events normally draw massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
