Tragic Crowd Crush at Ghana Military Recruitment Event Claims Lives

Wed Nov 12 2025 19:02:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

At least six people lost their lives during a chaotic crowd surge at a military recruitment event in Ghana, highlighting issues of youth unemployment and safety at large gatherings.

At El-Wak stadium in Accra, a military recruitment event turned deadly when a crowd surge resulted in at least six fatalities and injuries to 22 others, illustrating the dire consequences of high youth unemployment in Ghana.

At least six people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event in a stadium in Ghana.

Wednesday's tragic crush appeared to have been caused by an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates, said a statement from Ghana's armed forces.

Twenty-two others were injured, including five who remain in critical condition.

Thousands had turned up to El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.

Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events usually draw large crowds, often resulting in chaotic scenes.

The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.

Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the crush occurred just before the scheduled start time of 06:20 GMT. Calm was soon restored, and the recruitment exercise has since commenced.