At Least Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now started.
