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No fewer than six people have lost their lives amid a crowd crush at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in Ghana.

The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been triggered by "a sudden rush of applicants who breached security protocols and stormed the entrances," stated a statement from Ghana's armed forces.

22 additional individuals were injured, among them five who are in critical condition.

Thousands had turned up at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, Accra, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.

Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such enlistment drives typically draw large crowds and often result in disorderly situations.

The deadline to apply for this recruitment was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced challenges in the process.

Army spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush took place 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.

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