At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least six individuals have died amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The midweek "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of approximately 32%, the most recent government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has since begun.
