No Fewer Than Six Perish in Stampede at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" event seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.
Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.
A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The closing date to apply for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
