At Least Six Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event
At least six people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration 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 recruitment events typically draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced 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 President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in hospital.
Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.
