The Ghana Armed Forces have defended their decision to use cocoa sacks to transport some bodies recovered from the recent helicopter crash. The incident sparked public concern after reports indicated that the remains of victims were not all carried in body bags.
The crash, which claimed the lives of two cabinet ministers, three senior government officials, and three aircrew members, left the security forces in a state of mourning. Recovery efforts took place in a remote, forested area over 800 feet above sea level, making access and retrieval challenging.
According to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, body bags were available at the scene. However, the extreme heat of the remains made their immediate use unsafe. He explained that the team on the high ground had to decide between leaving the remains overnight or using cocoa sacks to bring them down to the medical teams waiting below.
“We had some body bags at the scene, but the remains were so heated that it was not conducive for the bags to be used,” he said.
Once the remains reached the foot of the hill, medical teams transferred them into body bags, some of which were supplied by Anglogold Ashanti. From there, they were transported to Kumasi in ambulances, placed in coffins, and draped in national colours before being moved to Accra for an official reception.
Recovery Effort Faced Terrain and Time Challenges
The crash site’s location and the urgency of the operation forced the military to adapt. The recovery team had to navigate difficult terrain while racing against nightfall. The Chief of Defence Staff noted that the search was one of the fastest recovery operations for a helicopter accident in Ghana.
Initial rescue efforts began about 30 minutes after the aircraft lost communication. Military teams moved in after receiving reports from locals near the crash site, but by the time they arrived, civilians had already begun interfering with the scene.
The use of cocoa sacks, he stressed, was not due to a lack of planning but a practical response to conditions on the ground. In his words, the soldiers “did the best with the resources they had at hand.”
Response to Public Concerns
Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kamaldeen Abdulai, criticised aspects of the emergency response, particularly the actions of some people at the scene. He pointed to Ghana’s tendency for untrained individuals to rush in to help during accidents, sometimes affecting professional response efforts.
Despite such criticisms, the Armed Forces insisted that every step of the recovery, from the crash site to the capital, was carried out with dignity. They emphasised that the use of cocoa sacks was a temporary measure, with all remains eventually placed in proper body bags before onward transport.
