Fifty-six burial permits collected by families

Lt. Col. Sam Aninkora, Administrative Officer of 37 Military Hospital on Thursday said burial permits for 56 dead bodies of the Stadium Disaster have been processed and collected by families of the deceased.

He said the families collected the permits as evidence to claim the government's offer of 2.5 million cedis towards the burial expenses of each of the dead.

Col. Aninkora told the press in an interview that although the families have collected the burial permits, none has so far collected the bodies.

The 37 Military Hospital received 106 dead bodies on Wednesday May 9 as a result of the stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium after a football match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.

The hospital released the bodies of 26 Muslims to their families on Friday May 11 while the remaining 80 are yet to be collected.

Col Aninkora advised bereaved families who have collected their burial permit to contact the hospital authorities for the bodies as soon as burial arrangements have been completed instead of waiting till the June 9 deadline.

He said two out of the three bodies with multiple identification have now been rectified while two of the five unidentified have also been claimed.

There are now three unidentified bodies and one with multiple identification and appealed to the public especially people with relatives or friends missing since May 9, to contact the hospital.