At Least 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Drive

No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a armed forces enlistment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.

The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and rushed into the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.

Twenty-two others were hurt, among them five who remain in serious state.

A large crowd had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.

The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data show, and such enlistment drives normally attract large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.

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

Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede took place ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.

The nation's leader John Mahama has visited the wounded in hospital.

Order has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has since begun.