ACCRA, Ghana — At least six individuals have tragically died in a crowd crush at a military recruitment exercise held at the El-Wak stadium in Accra, Ghana, according to confirmed reports.
The fatal incident, which occurred on Wednesday morning, appeared to have been caused by a sudden, massive rush of applicants attempting to gain entry.
A statement released by Ghana’s armed forces attributed the “tragic” event to a security breach:
The “tragic” crush appeared to have been caused by an “an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates,” said a statement from Ghana’s armed forces.
Thousands of hopeful young Ghanaians had gathered at the stadium in the capital with aspirations of joining the military.
The toll of unemployment
The sheer scale of the turnout underscores the significant youth unemployment challenge in Ghana, which currently stands at approximately 13%.
Recruitment events for the armed forces typically draw overwhelming crowds, often resulting in chaotic and difficult scenes.
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To accommodate the high demand, the deadline for applications had recently been extended by a week to assist applicants who faced difficulties during the initial process.
Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin confirmed that the crush took place before the event’s scheduled start time of 06:20 GMT.
Several injured individuals are currently receiving emergency medical treatment. Authorities have since restored calm, and the recruitment exercise has commenced despite the earlier tragedy.
