No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," stated a release from the nation's military.
22 others were hurt, including 5 who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest official data indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to allow for more applicants, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.
Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.
