Lieutenant General William Agyapong, Chief of Defence Staff, has defended the Ghana Armed Forces’ handling of the August 6 helicopter crash recovery, rejecting claims that no body bags were available at the scene.
“It was getting late, and the place had been sealed off. We had to embark on the recovery efforts with the available and appropriate materials we had on the ground,” he said.
According to him, body bags were indeed present, but the condition of the remains — which were extremely hot from the crash — made them unsuitable for use.
“It was in a thick forest, it was getting late. We had the option of leaving the remains till the next day, but we knew what would have happened to the bodies,” he explained.
Faced with this situation, the recovery team opted to use whatever materials they could find to transport the remains down the hill, where they were met by a medical team.
The GAF has faced public criticism after videos emerged showing the remains of the eight victims — including three service members — being moved in sacks. Lt. Gen. Agyapong insisted the decision was purely a matter of practicality under difficult circumstances.
He further disclosed that the helicopter’s black box has been retrieved and will be examined by experts and the manufacturers.
He also noted that the operation was the fastest recovery in the history of helicopter crashes in Ghana.
