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At least 6 people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event held in a sports arena in Ghana.

The Wednesday's "tragic" incident appeared to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," announced a statement from the nation's military.

Twenty-two others were hurt, 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 aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.

Ghana has a rate of joblessness among young people of about thirty-two percent, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and often result in chaotic scenes.

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

Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred ahead of the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.

The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in hospital.

Calm has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.