The genesis
Reports emerged around midday on August 6, 2025, of a helicopter accident in the Ashanti Region (here, here, here).
Even though the speculation started largely on social media, it wasn’t long before media portals reported that the incident involved a Ghana Air Force helicopter that crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
Social media posts (photos and videos) showed a scene with charred remains in a forest, in some cases with some fire still burning.
The initial toll of 4 victims dispelled by the military
While posts online and some news websites reported that four people were feared dead (here, here, here), a statement issued by the Department of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) gave the following details.
- The helicopter was a Z9
- It had taken off from Accra at 09:12 hours en route to Obuasi
- It subsequently went off the radar.
- The aircraft was carrying a total of eight people – three crew members and five passengers.
Government addresses the media, names victims
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, at a press briefing at the presidency, confirmed the incident and also announced the names of the eight persons referred to in the GAF statement:
- Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
- Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed
- Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Muniru Mohammed
- Samuel Aboagye, a former Member of Parliament and
- Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of NDC.
The crew members
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- Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala,
- Flying Officer Mane-Twum Ampadu and
- Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
At the briefing attended by Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the Chief of Staff also expressed the government’s condolences to the grieving families and ordered that all flags fly at half-mast until further notice.
Eyewitness account
An eyewitness, Gideon Oduro, who spoke to GBC, the national broadcaster, said the helicopter crashed into a tree in a thick forested area before crashing.
“The victims were charred beyond recognition, and due to the intensity of the fire, one could not even know whether they were male or female. The helicopter showed no signs of distress at all. I am sure that because of the weather conditions, it crashed into the tree.
We could immediately confirm only four bodies, even with that, only one person’s body parts from their waist up could be identified, all others were burnt beyond recognition,” Oduro added.
President Mahama suspends activities for the week, declares three days of mourning
A press statement signed by the Minister in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced that “President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week.”
Describing the incident as a national tragedy, the government also announced that “There will be three days of national mourning starting tomorrow, Thursday, 7 August, 2025.
Investigations begin, bodies brought back to Accra
In their second statement on the incident, the Ghana Armed Forces confirmed that the crash happened in the “general area of Sikaman, near Adansi Akrofuom, in the Ashanti Region.”
It also confirmed the death of all eight persons on board and named each of the lost civilians and crew members.
“Investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the incident,” the statement concluded.
The GAF’s final statement on August 6 was titled: ‘BODIES OF GHANA ARMED FORCES Z-9 HELICOPTER CRASH VICTIMS BROUGHT TO ACCRA.’
The statement gave the following facts:
- Remains of the victims have been brought to Accra onboard the Ghana Air Force casa aircraft.
- They were received at the Air Force Base by government functionaries led by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, the military High Command and well-wishers.
- They have been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital in preparation for interment later.
- All eight bodies were retrieved from the site of the crash.
