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No fewer than six individuals have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a stadium in the West African nation.

The Wednesday's "devastating" incident appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," stated a release from Ghana's armed forces.

22 others were hurt, among them five who remain in critical condition.

A large crowd had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.

Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the latest official data show, and such enlistment drives typically attract large crowds and often lead to chaotic scenes.

The deadline to submit applications for this recruitment was extended by a week to allow for more applicants, as some had faced challenges in the application procedure.

Military representative Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.

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

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