No Fewer Than Six Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 people have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of joining the armed forces.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
