120 Faint At Parade   07-Mar-2013

Over 120 people collapsed at this year’s independence parade across the country yesterday. Reports said most of the casualties were as a result of the scorching sun and the fact that some school children had not taken their breakfast before being sent to the various parade grounds. The breakdown showed that 48 casualties were recorded at Prampram in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra region; seven students at Ashaiman; 18 people in Sunyani; 27 in Ho while 20 casualties were recorded in Agona Nkwanta in Western region. Prampram Forty-eight students participating in the Independence Day parade at Prampram fainted on the parade grounds yesterday. Ten out of the 48 were detained and some of them received intravenous infusion at the Prampram Health Centre. Vivian A. Okpodjah, Senior Staff Nurse of the Prampram Health Centre, who led the team of nurses at the parade grounds, told the GNA that the situation could be due to over-crowding, noise, hunger and the excessive heat. A total of 2,500 students drawn from 33 schools made up of both public and private schools in the district participated in the two-hour parade at the Prampram Anglican Basic School Park to mark Ghana’s 56th Independence anniversary celebration. Christian, Muslim and Traditional prayers were also offered by students from selected schools.       Source: Daily Guide