The government says it will foot
the entire medical and funeral expenses of eight young footballers who died in
a fatal road accident last Saturday at Offinso in the Ashanti Region.
The accident involved players
and officials of Colt’s Football Club, Vision Academy who were traveling back
to Offinso after a registration exercise at Afrancho in Kumasi.
The Director-General of the
National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi, was at Offinso on
Wednesday to commiserate with the families and to assure them of the
government’s support.
The NSA boss, who spent the a whole day visiting the 33 affected families at Offinso, made a plea to the
families and the Offinsomanhene to allow the government to dedicate a day to
mourn the departed.
The NSA boss also presented a
cash donation to the families of the victims on behalf of the Sports Ministry.
“We gave an
assurance that the government will do all that it takes for those who were
injured to be supported to recover. So today I came to represent my minister
Hon Isaac Asiamah to ensure that we meet all the families and establish all
that they require in terms of support. Besides what the government has done
including ambulance services, the government is absorbing all medical bills,”
he told the families at Offinso.
“Additionally
the government will also prefer that a proper befitting burial is organized for
the departed and so we had to consult with Nananom to see if such permission
will be granted so that the whole country on a particular day will be here to
mourn with the families.”
Witnesses say the accident
occurred after the driver lost control of his vehicle and plunged into the
Offinso River killing eight of the aspiring young footballers and injuring a
number of them.
Six of the players aged between
12 and 15 died on the spot while two others lost their lives later at the Komfo
Anokye Teaching hospital.
Some other members of the team
are currently responding to treatment at the St Patrick Hospital, Offinso.
The bus, which was supposed to
carry a maximum of 18 passengers, was filled with twice its capacity.
No comments