At Least 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive

At least six individuals have lost their lives during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.

The midweek "devastating" event appeared to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.

Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, among them 5 who are in critical condition.

Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.

Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and often result in disorderly situations.

The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for additional candidates, as some had experienced challenges in the process.

Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the planned commencement time of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.

The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.

Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now begun.