Seven job seekers have died and dozens of others injured in a stampede during a Nigerian government recruitment event in the capital, Abuja.

Tayo Haastrup, spokesperson for the National Hospital in the capital, said Saturday that seven bodies had arrived to the infirmary following a stampede at the Abuja Stadium.

The spokesperson also said those with stable injuries were sent to other hospitals as additional people were arriving with numerous injuries.

The incident took place when tens of thousands of jobless people had gathered at the national stadium to apply for a position with the Nigerian Immigration Service.

One witness said the fatal disaster was due to a rush by applicants towards a central stage.

It is unclear how many people were already inside the stadium when the incident happened and there is still no official toll of the dead.

Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic Party said in a statement that it was “shocked and deeply saddened" by the deaths.

The government recruitment event at the Abuja stadium was one of several drives held on Saturday at stadiums in Nigeria, where most of its 170 million citizens live on less than two dollars a day.

The African country is struggling with a high unemployment rate as 24 percent of people are without work.

Youth unemployment rate is even higher, with an estimated 37.5 percent of young Nigerians under the age of 25 jobless.

Africa’s top oil producer is heavily dependent on its oil sector, which provides minimal employment in the country.

Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that the country is not creating enough jobs and “that is a very big challenge.”

The minister has also said that the country needs to grow faster. Okonjo-Iweala has admitted that “most of whatever growth there is” is captured by “five to 10 percent” of the population.