Some stadium disaster bodies identified

A total of 42 out of the 104 dead bodies brought to the 37 Military hospital following Wednesday's Accra Sports Stadium soccer disaster were identified by relatives as at mid-day on Thursday for post-mortem and embalming processes which have already started.

The number of the dead at the Hospital has increased to 106 from the initial 102 as four more from Nima were brought in by family members.


The families had attempted to bury them earlier in the day against the instruction of the hospital authorities for an autopsy to be performed.


Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East intervened for the bodies to be brought to the hospital.


The atmosphere at the hospital was tense, as family members anxiously waited to be allowed to enter the mortuary to identify their dead relations.


A resident of Nima, one Mr Brown, who had identified three of his relatives was still looking for five more.

Many of the people appeared very humbled by the gruesome sight of the corpses lying on the floor in the mortuary, which had already exceeded its 60 capacity limit by 30 more before the 102 more bodies were brought on Wednesday.


Brigadier Dan Twum, Medical Director of the hospital, said no identified body would be released to families after post-mortem until government gives directives.


He said the hospital is in full control of the situation, adding that all the injured are responding to treatment and hopefully some would soon be discharged.


Various dignitaries including ranking members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were at the hospital to assess the situation.


The First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor and the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Ramatu Mahama as well as the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Ofori Panin Amoatia were also at the hospital to see the victims.

Seventeen-year-old Abdul Rahim Ibrahim, first year student of Harvard College on admission, said when the tear gas was fired, people rushed through the narrow exit point from the Ade Coker Stands "and all I could remember was that somebody was carrying me ".


The Okyehene presented 10 million cedis to the hospital authorities for the upkeep of the patients.


Mr Kwabena Duffuor, Governor of the Bank of Ghana also presented a cheque for 30 million cedis