No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Drive

At least six people have died amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering 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 rushed into the entrances," announced a release from Ghana's armed forces.

22 others were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.

A large crowd had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the capital, the capital, with the hope of enlisting in the armed forces.

The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the latest government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives normally draw large crowds and frequently result in chaotic scenes.

The closing date to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a seven days to allow for additional candidates, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.

Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.

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

Order has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has since started.