President John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday, visited the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) High Command at Burma Camp to express profound condolences to the forces and the bereaved families following the recent military helicopter crash that killed all eight persons on board.

The President extended heartfelt sympathies to the GAF personnel and the families of the eight personnel who perished in the tragic incident.

President Mahama was accompanied by the Vice- President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang; the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; the Minister of Finance and acting Minister for Defence, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the Deputy Defence Minister, Samuel Brogya Genfi, and the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, and other officials.

The President and the Vice- President also signed the book of condolence opened in honour of the deceased.

Paying tribute to the fallen personnel, President Mahama described them as "gallant soldiers who served the country with dedication and honour," announcing they would be accorded full state burials.

“We will make sure that the respect that is given to fallen soldiers is given to them,” the President stated.

He acknowledged that while service personnel swore to protect the nation, the loss of life under such circumstances was never expected.

President Mahama pledged his full and unwavering support to the families during their mourning and beyond.

The Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, received the President, noting the profound national grief.

Also present were all the service chiefs, other high-ranking officers, civilian staff and representatives of the families.

“Your excellency, it has been a week of mourning, and it is so because of the loss of eight patriots of this country,” Lt. Gen. Agyapong said

The CDS highlighted that the President's continuous engagement with the Military High Command since the incident reflected the depth of his personal pain and concern over the loss.

Sister of the pilot of the helicopter, late Squadron Leader Anala, Leticia Anala, who spoke on behalf of the bereaved families, expressed gratitude to the President for his compassion, stating that it had aided their healing process.

Ms Anala commended the decision for a state burial and thanked the President, GAF, and the nation for their solidarity and support.

Background

The devastating helicopter crash occurred at Adansi-Brofoyedu in the Adansi Akrofuom District in the Ashanti Region.

All eight people on the helicopter perished in the crash. They included the Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah; the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and the acting Deputy National Security Coordinator in charge of Human Security, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna.

The rest were the Vice Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Sarpong; the Deputy Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Samuel Aboagye; the pilot, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala; the co-pilot, Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu, and crew member, Sergeant Ernest Addo-Mensah.

GAF?cautions

Meanwhile, the GAF has urged the public to be circumspect in utterances about the August 6 helicopter crash, saying its attention had been drawn to “many speculative and unsubstantiated commentaries regarding the recent Air Force Z-9 Helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region”.

“For the sake of the bereaved families and loved ones, the Armed Forces urges media practitioners, panelists, social commentators, bloggers and content creators to be circumspect in their reportage as a way of according respect to the memories of the fallen heroes and to mitigate the sorrows of the bereaved families,” a statement signed by the acting Director-General, Public Relations, of the GAF, Naval Captain V.A. Arhin, said.

It said the Armed Forces acknowledged “the immense public interest in the accident”, but gave the assurance that painstaking investigations were ongoing to unravel the cause of the crash.

“The Armed Forces will do everything possible, including collaborating with international agencies, to bring closure to the incident. At this point in time, any purported conclusions based on opinions, perceptions and conjectures will be premature and misleading.

The public is, therefore, advised to be wary of such reportage,” the statement added.