No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six individuals have died amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
