No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has visited the injured in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
