The Jubilee House, usually a hub of brisk activity, stood eerily quiet under the grey overcast skies of Accra for most of yesterday.
A steady drizzle fell, casting a cold, mournful pall over the presidential complex as rumours of a national tragedy in the shape of a helicopter crash that had claimed the lives of two ministers of state, a top national security official, three flight crew members and two members of the ruling party soon became a reality.
Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, were on the helicopter heading for a national assignment in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region when the disaster struck at Adansi-Brofoyedu in the Adansi Akrofuom District.
The other persons on the flight were the acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, who was on his first official assignment since his appointment a fortnight ago; a National Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Samuel Sarpong; a parliamentary candidate in the 2024 elections, Samuel Aboagye; Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, the pilot; Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu, co-pilot, and Sergeant Ernest Addo-Mensah, crew member.
3-Day national mourning
President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities and programmes for the rest of the week following yesterday national tragedy.
Dr Frank Amoakohene (arrowed), Ashanti Regional Minister, and his team on their way to the accident scene at the Sikam forest at Brofoyedu in the Adansi Akrofuom District in the Ashanti Region
He has also declared three days of national mourning starting today.
A statement released by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister, Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the government, through the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, had meanwhile directed that all flags must fly at half-mast until further notice.
The tragedy happened 1,000 feet up Mountain Dampayaw at a site estimated to be a two-hour drive from Obuasi, and a 90-minute walk from Sikaman Brofoyedu.
Earlier at the Jubilee House, the seat of government, the usual flurry of aides, ministers, and visitors had ceased, replaced by hushed conversations among small clusters of staff gathered in corridors and offices, their voices low as they discussed the tragic helicopter crash that had since shaken the nation.
Security personnel remained at their posts, their expressions grave, standing rigidly against the backdrop of Ghana’s flag, which later started flying at half-mast on the orders of the President — a stark symbol of national grief.
President Mahama, who was scheduled to travel to the Central Region later yesterday, cancelled all programmes, keeping himself indoors as the weight of the tragedy sank deep.
The emotional toll was evident as President Mahama, who had worked closely with the deceased ministers, particularly Dr Boamah, a long-time ally, struggled to process the loss.
The only movement came from officials arriving occasionally to express condolences or attend emergency meetings, their footsteps muted on the wet pavements.
The air was thick with sorrow, and the rhythmic patter of rain against the windows seemed to be the only sound breaking the silence.
Even the usual hum of generators and distant city noise was subdued, as if the nation had held its breath in mourning.
Helicopter crash
The devastating helicopter crash occurred at Adansi-Brofoyedu in the Adansi Akrofuom District in the Ashanti Region.
High-powered delegation of government ministers and NDC party executives led by Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff, at the residence of the late Dr Omane Boamah
All eight people on the aircraft perished in the crash.
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, confirmed the tragic incident in a sombre announcement at the Jubilee House in the afternoon, hours after the military had reported that a military helicopter that took off after 9 a.m. yesterday had gone missing on the radar.
Mr Debrah described the incident as a "national tragedy" and called for flags to be flown at half-mast in honour of the deceased who were on a national assignment.
Crash details
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) helicopter, a Z9 model, took off from Accra at 9:12 a.m. en route to Obuasi, where the officials were scheduled to attend the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP).
Staff at the Jubilee House seen outside their offices as the disaster was announced by Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff
Official details indicated that the aircraft, carrying three crew members and five passengers, lost contact with radar.
Eyewitnesses described a horrific scene, with the helicopter bursting into flames upon impact on the ground in the Sikaman forest in the Adansi Akrofuom area.
The Ghana Armed Forces subsequently issued a statement confirming the incident and expressed deep regret over the loss of the countrymen.
Shock waves
The devastating news of the helicopter crash sent shockwaves across the country, spreading rapidly through media bulletins, social platforms and hushed conversations in homes, offices and marketplaces.
Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff, making the official announcement of the tragedy at the Jubilee House yesterday
In the early hours, many clung to hope, praying for a miracle, perhaps survivors or a mistaken report.
But as the day wore on, the grim reality settled in. Radio stations switched to solemn music, television screens displayed the faces of the deceased in sombre tributes, and public gatherings took on a subdued tone.
By 3 p.m., the nation’s collective disbelief had become profound sorrow.
Just after 3 p.m., the weight of the tragedy became even more palpable as two high-level delegations set off from the Jubilee House in two separate convoys to officially inform the bereaved families.
The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, led one of the teams, while the Chief of Staff headed another, accompanied by senior government officials, security personnel and party leadership.
Their solemn processions, trailed all through by cameras and microphones, were a heartbreaking confirmation of the nation’s loss.
Outside the homes of the deceased, neighbours and strangers alike stood in solidarity, some weeping openly, others offering silent prayers.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, later revealed that President Mahama “is devastated beyond consolation” following yesterday’s helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight individuals, including two cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Iddrisu stated that the President, after convening an emergency meeting, delegated the Vice-President and the Chief of Staff to lead official delegations to the bereaved families.
Mr Iddrisu said President Mahama was deeply affected by the tragedy, insisting that the President had cancelled all official engagements, including a planned trip to the Central Region.
"The President is so devastated. We are hoping he would be consoled,” Mr Iddrisu told the Daily Graphic.
Early party
The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, some District Chief Executives and members of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) rushed to the Adansi-Brofoyedu community, the crash scene, and walked through the thick forest for barely two hours before reaching the scene of the accident, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports from Adansi-Brofoyedu.
The team led the retrieval of the eight bodies.
The GAF has also dispatched a team of experts to the scene to start an investigation into the crash.
Eyewitness accounts
Eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that they spotted the helicopter flying at an unusual level across the forest and, after a while, realised that it had crashed into the forest.
A resident, Kojo Asiedu, said he was busy in the house when he heard a loud sound, apparently the crash in the forest, recalling, “I even thought it was a bomb that had blasted in the forest”.
They suspected that the hazy weather conditions within the area resulted in poor visibility, making navigation very difficult for the crew.
One said, “I think that low visibility due to the heavy clouds might have contributed to the unfortunate incident.”
The tragic incident attracted hundreds of people, including others from nearby communities, who thronged the Brofoyedu community to discuss the sad incident.
Farmers who were on their farms abandoned their activities and rushed to catch a glimpse of the incident.
Some of them wept uncontrollably at the scene.
History
On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, a Ghana Air Force helicopter with registration number GHF 696 crash-landed at Bonsukrom, near Agona Nkwanta, in the Western Region. The incident happened at about 12:30 p.m.
The Ghana Armed Forces said 21 passengers were on board, made up of staff of the Ghana National Gas Company and aircrew.
On March 16, 2002, a Ghana Air Force helicopter dispatched to convey accident victims from Boma to Accra crashed at a town near Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region, killing all seven people on board— four crew members, two patients and a nurse.
The military helicopter had gone missing on Saturday, March 16, 2002, and was later found in a village located within the Atiwa Forest, Sekyimase, near Kyebi in the Eastern Region, after almost three days of intense search.
There have been other emergency landings of military helicopters.
