Kumasi Mayor, Hon. Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, has disclosed harrowing details of the moments leading up to the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Dr. Omane Boamah, Dr. Murtala Mohammed, and six others.
According to the Mayor, the ill-fated aircraft attempted to land three times but was unable to do so due to poor weather conditions. One of the occupants, Samuel Aboagye — a former parliamentary candidate for the Obuasi East constituency — called the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Obuasi to report their struggle in finding a safe landing spot.
“He told the DCE they couldn’t land because the weather was too bad and instructed him to meet them with a car at a different destination,” the Mayor recounted. “Sadly, the aircraft never made it there.”
Hon. Ofori-Agyeman Boadi also appealed for public understanding towards the first responders, especially those criticizing the use of jute sacks in transporting the victims’ remains from the crash site. He explained that the body bags brought to the mountainous area had melted when placed on the hot ground near the crash site.
“The heat from the crash was so intense that when we put the body bags down, they melted,” he said. “We had no choice but to use jute sacks. Once we trekked for two hours through the forest to reach the roadside, the remains were transferred into proper body bags.”
He praised the community near the crash site for their “selfless support” in aiding the recovery efforts, adding that without their help, the operation would have been even more challenging.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash, which has left the nation mourning and questioning the safety of operations in adverse weather conditions.
