No Fewer Than Six Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who are in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.
Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was extended by 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 before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.
