Ghana’s President John Kufuor says anyone found guilty by a government commission investigating the deadly football stadium stampede will face the full force of the law.
The stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium Wednesday killed at least 126 people.
In a broadcast speech late Thursday, President Kufuor said investigators are questioning six senior officers in charge of security at the stadium. He said the eyes of the world are on his grief-stricken country and urged calm.
Ghana has declared three days of national mourning. The government has also founded a disaster fund to help victims’ families with medical and funeral expenses.
The incident occurred in the closing minutes of a key football match Wednesday between the hometown Accra Hearts of Oak and its archival, Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko. Kumasi fans threw seats and bottles after Accra took a two-to-one lead.
Witnesses say police fired tear gas to control the crowd, prompting a stampede as people ran to locked stadium gates to escape the gas. Many victims were crushed while others suffocated. The gates were locked to keep more fans out of the packed stadium.
Ghana’s President John Kufuor says anyone found guilty by a government commission investigating the deadly football stadium stampede will face the full force of the law.
