At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event

At least 6 people have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.

The midweek "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 Ghana's armed forces.

22 others were injured, including 5 who are in critical condition.

A large crowd had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of joining the armed forces.

The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.

The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the process.

Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.

Ghana's President John Mahama has visited the injured in medical care.

Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has since started.