Lieutenant General William Agyapong, Chief of Defence Staff, has backed the Ghana Armed Forces’ handling of the helicopter crash victims, 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.
He justified that the body bags were present, but the condition of the remains, which were very hot from the crash, made them unfit 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.
Based on this, 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.
Following the incident, 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 also reiterated that the helicopter’s black box has been retrieved and will be examined by experts and the manufacturers.
