No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Drive

No fewer than six people have died during a crowd crush at a armed forces enlistment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.

The Wednesday's "tragic" event seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and rushed into the gates," announced a release from the nation's military.

22 additional individuals were injured, among them 5 who remain in critical condition.

Thousands had gathered at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the military.

Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives normally draw massive gatherings and frequently result in chaotic scenes.

The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a seven days to accommodate additional candidates, as a number had faced difficulties in the application procedure.

Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede took place before the event's scheduled start of 6:20 AM Greenwich Mean Time.

Ghana's President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.

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