Ghana’s Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, has addressed public outcry over the military’s use of cocoa sacks to transport remains from last week’s fatal helicopter crash.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, he explained that extreme conditions left recovery teams with no viable alternative after standard body bags burned at the forest crash site.
“The remains were so heated by fire, and we faced encroaching darkness in thick terrain,” Agyapong stated.
With three body bags destroyed and night falling, soldiers used nearby cocoa sacks rather than leave the eight victims overnight. Kumasi official Richard Ofori Agyemang, part of the team, confirmed the bags were unusable: “We wouldn’t abandon compatriots.”
Though acknowledging the method may have clashed with cultural expectations, Agyapong insisted personnel “did their best with available resources.”
The remains were later transferred to proper body bags provided by mining firm AngloGold Ashanti, placed in coffins, and moved to Accra.
The 6 August Z-9 helicopter crash continues to prompt national grief and demands for a full investigation. The military’s transparency aims to contextualize an agonizing recovery effort, even as questions linger about operational protocols.
