The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, has explained the circumstances that necessitated the use of cocoa sacks to carry the remains of the eight men who lost their lives in the August 6 helicopter crash.
According to Lieutenant General Agyapong, although personnel at the scene had body bags—which were the appropriate tools for such an exercise—the extent to which the bodies were burnt made it impossible to use them.
He emphasised that the rescue team did their best with the materials available, which included cocoa sacks, to carry the victims’ remains. Lt. Gen. Agyapong noted that, as night was approaching and the remains could not be left at the scene, the team resorted to the “available and appropriate material” to transport the bodies from the thick forest.
The CDS made this clarification when executives of the Ghana Journalists Association called on him on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
“Let me just round it up by saying that we had to carry out the recovery efforts with the available and appropriate material we had on the ground. 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.
“It was in the thick forest, and it was getting late. We had the option of leaving the remains there until the following day, but we knew what would have happened to the bodies. So the team, assessing the situation, decided to use the available materials they could lay their hands on to start the descent to higher ground,” he stated.
He said the rescue team is currently expanding their search to ensure that all remains and parts of the aircraft are retrieved.
“It was getting very late. The place had been sealed off—I would not use the word ‘cordoned off’ because we didn’t even know the extent to which the wreckage had dispersed. As I speak, personnel on the ground continue to expand the search because we don’t know exactly where all the remains, fragments, and parts of the aircraft might be,” he added.
He continued: “At the foot of the hill, they met the medical team, and with the body bags they had—some of which had been sent from AngloGold Ashanti—they placed our fallen heroes in those bags decently. We kept them in ambulances and sent them to Kumasi, where they were placed in coffins draped in national colours befitting their status as patriots of this country. Subsequently, we moved them to Accra, where you saw the kind of reception that was arranged for them.”
The Chief of Defence Staff admitted that in the course of transporting the remains, some procedures may have been breached due to the “hurried” manner in which events unfolded.
“Let me say that all these things were done hurriedly. There might have been some mistakes. In the morning when the aircraft was taking off, nobody expected any such disaster. From the crash to Accra, it is possible that some things were done that were not in conformity with our culture,” he admitted.
However, Lieutenant General Agyapong maintained that the rescue team and personnel did their best with the resources at their disposal.
“But I must tell you that those who were on the ground assessed the situation, and from where I stand, looking back, I think they did the best with the resources they had at hand,” he remarked.
source: 3news
