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

No fewer than 6 people have died during a stampede at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.

The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from Ghana's armed forces.

Twenty-two additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who remain in serious state.

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

The country has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and frequently lead to disorderly situations.

The closing date to submit applications for this event was extended by a seven days to allow for more applicants, as some had experienced challenges in the application procedure.

Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.

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

Calm has been reestablished, and the recruitment exercise has now started.