Emergency counselling services set up for families victims

An emergency counselling team made up of health personnel, Christian and Muslim clergy, has been set up to deal with the bereaved families of 126 soccer fans who lost their lives in a stampede on Wednesday night at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Brigadier Dan Twum, Director of Medical Services of the Ghana Armed Forces, announced this at a press conference at the 37 Military Hospital on Thursday.

He said the hospital had over the years dealt with emergency situations, including that of the recent Airlink plane crash, but has never had to deal with so many dead bodies.

He said there is, therefore, the need to deal with family members who are distressed. Authorities at the hospital are having a hard time coping with the large crowd, made up of bereaved families, friends, politicians and onlookers who had besieged the premises to identify the bodies sent to the hospital.

So far none of the 102 bodies brought to the hospital has been identified.

The mortuary, which has the capacity for 60 bodies, was already overflowing with 90 bodies before the 102 bodies were brought.

Brigadier Twum said as a matter of procedure for the identification of the bodies, a group of 20 made up of two representatives each of the family of a victim, would enter the mortuary at a time. He said a post-mortem would begin on Thursday morning after which the bodies would be embalmed.

He warned that the hospital would not consider any protest based on religious grounds to prevent autopsy.

He also warned that none of the dead bodies would be released to any family member since the hospital authorities will have to await further instructions from the government for the disposal of the corpses.

Brigadier Twum said it is illegal for any person to bury any victim of the disaster without an autopsy.

He said this in reaction to reports that some people had gone ahead to bury their dead relatives who were carried away from the stadium on Wednesday.

He said the hospital was not aware of any such cases but if they were true, then it was against the laws of the land.

Mr Kwabena Agyapong, Deputy Government Spokesman, on behalf of President John Agyekum Kufuor and the government, extended condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Ghana, describing the loss as "irreplaceable".

Colonel Joseph Ayettey, Commanding Officer of the Hospital, said one of victims of the disaster had been operated upon and 50 others on admission are in stable condition. He said 10 others were discharged on Wednesday and seven were sent to the Achimota Hospital. Five hospitals, including Ridge, Police and Trust, are co- ordinating efforts to deal with victims of the country's worst sports disaster.