No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Stampede at Ghana Armed Forces Enlistment Event

No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in the West African nation.

The midweek "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "a sudden rush of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.

Twenty-two additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in serious state.

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

Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the most recent official data show, and such recruitment events typically attract massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.

The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the application procedure.

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

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

Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has since started.