Charges recommended over Ghana stadium disaster

A Ghana commission of inquiry has recommended charges against police over a stampede at an Accra soccer stadium which killed 126 fans.

The commission urged that police on duty the night of the disaster be prosecuted for alleged reckless use of firearms, said Sam Okudzeto, commission chairman.

Okudzeto gave no details of the recommendation, and it was not immediately clear what the recommended charge concerned.

Okudzeto presented the commission's findings to Ghana President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday. The report has yet to be made public.

The 126 victims were smothered or crushed to death after police fired tear gas to quell rowdy fans during a game between the country's two leading soccer teams. Panic ensued as people rushed for exits to escape the gas.

Okudzeto said policemen involved in the disaster should be punished as a warning to others in public service.

Appointed by Kufuor, the commission held 17 public hearings, heard 102 witnesses, and visited seven sites in Ghana and two stadiums in Great Britain.