Helicopter crash tragedy: How and what occurred during the over  5-hour  rescue mission-Journalist’s detailed account

I was part of the journalists who joined the Lands and Natural Resources Minister for the launch of the government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program at the government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program at Obuasi Black Park in the Ashanti Region.

The program was well-organized, with dozens of people in attendance, including local residents, security agencies, state departments, and agencies, and top government officials.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Frank Amoakohene, was the first government top official to arrive at the event, accompanied by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Armah Kofi Boah, and his entourage.

Both came by road, waiting for their colleagues, the Minister for Defense, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, and Environment Minister, Hon. Mutalar Mohamed, to join.

The Call That Changed Everything

Everything seemed okay until the Ashanti Regional Minister received a call that changed the mood of the program.

Right after the call, dozens of military officers at the event were sent out for an emergency assignment, which was yet to be unfolded.

Later, the Ashanti Regional Minister and his team moved out of the program and headed straight to Sikaman, a cocoa farming community in the Adanse Akrofuom District.

We had already been informed that a helicopter carrying top government officials had crashed, killing them instantly.

The story was too sad to believe, so I decided not to write anything about it until I got to the scene and discovered the truth myself, despite getting confirmation from locals in the area, including their assembly member.

The Journey to Sad Scene

The journey to the community where the incident occurred from Obuasi was about 45 minutes, but it took us about two hours due to the deplorable nature of the roads in the area.

On our way, emergency service providers, including the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and Ambulance Service, were seen clawing to respond to the emergency due to poor roads.

 As a matter of fact, one of the fire tenders veered off the road and landed in a ditch as a result of slippery road condition, leaving the other tender and the ambulance in fear of getting trapped too.

As we followed the emergency service providers, calls kept coming from the community and other concerned members of society who had heard the incident, asking what was going on.

After going through the deplorable road in an agonizing journey for about two hours, we finally got to the Sikaman community, but the only way to the crash scene was by route walking to about a 1,000 feet mountain.

It was there I lost hope of any possible survival because even if the plane had crashed on a near area in the community, emergency service providers would have taken about two hours to get there due to poor roads.

We journeyed our way to the scene, and for about two hours in the thick forest with cocoa plantations, we had to climb huge mountains in order to get to the scene.

After about one hour 50 minutes, I finally got closer to the horrible scene, climbing to the exact place, I saw parts of the helicopter had already fallen from the steep mountain, sending shivers down my spine.

 Huge trees had fallen, signaling a very devastating accident. We managed to climb the 1,000 feet mountain, and upon reaching the scene, I cried.

Charred bodies of top government officials and military personnel numbering eight were still in the crashed plane, which had burnt beyond recognition.

Security officials were already at the scene but waited for the arrival of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, before they embarked on any retrieval mission to the scene.

Retrieval Process

 Upon the Minister’s arrival, he offered prayer for the victims before they finally began the retrieval process.

It must be noted that it took civilians to retrieve all the eight bodies perished in the helicopter crash.

They were bundled into eight sacks and finally sent down the mountain to the community.

Upon arrival at the outskirt of the community, the chiefs in the area joined the rescue team to perform rituals before the bodies were finally sent to an ambulance and back to Kumasi.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the nation, and an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

 The government has announced that national flags will fly at half-mast as a sign of mourning.

 Our hearts go out to the families of the victims during this difficult time.

By Kwame Agyenim Boateng, OTEC NEWSROOM