No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Stampede at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
At least 6 individuals have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in serious state.
A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
