At Least 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
At least 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a statement from the nation's military.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced challenges in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
