All eight bodies of those who perished in Wednesday’s military helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region have been recovered from the wreckage, rescue officials have confirmed.
The remains were retrieved from the Dampayaw Forest Reserve, a rugged mountainous area near Brofoyedu Sikaman in the Adansi South District, where the ill-fated aircraft went down during an official government mission.
“What you saw a while ago in those sacks are the remains of our senior officers who were involved in the crash this morning,” the Deputy Security Coordinator for the Ashanti Region told reporters at the site.
The victims included two sitting Cabinet Ministers — Dr Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation — along with other senior government officials and military personnel.
The crash occurred as the officials were en route to Obuasi on official duty.
List of the victims
In addition to the two Cabinet Ministers, the deceased have been identified as:
Alhaji Muhammed Muniru Limuna
Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Minister for Food and Agriculture
Dr Samuel Sarpong
Vice-Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Ashanti Regional Minister
Mr Samuel Aboagye
Former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East
Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala,
Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu,
Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The helicopter reportedly struck a large tree within the dense forest area, crashing with devastating force and leaving no survivors.
Tough terrain hinders recovery efforts
Rescue teams from the military, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the police, working under extreme physical conditions, have been struggling with the mountainous terrain of the forest reserve.
The remoteness of the crash site has made it nearly impossible for vehicles to access the area.
A military helicopter was dispatched from Accra to assist in evacuating the remains and transporting them from the crash scene. As of late Wednesday afternoon, the bodies were being prepared for airlift.
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister, was at the scene along with other top regional security and political officials overseeing the recovery operation.
Grief and shock among locals
Meanwhile, dozens of journalists, residents of Brofoyedu Sikaman, and sympathisers gathered at the foot of the mountain, anxiously awaiting news.
Unable to access the crash site themselves, many of them stood in sombre silence as updates trickled down from military officials.
The nation has been plunged into mourning as it grapples with the magnitude of the loss — one of the most devastating accidents involving senior government personnel in Ghana’s recent history.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are expected to begin in earnest once the site has been fully secured and the remains of the victims safely transported to Accra.
