- The Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council has a cash reward for the return of debris taken from the August 6 helicopter crash site in Adansi Akrofuom
- The council gave persons who took debris a deadline to return them to local government authorities
- The helicopter crash killed eight people, including the Minister of Defence Edward Omane Boamah
The Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council is appealing to Adansi area residents to return any items retrieved from the site of the fatal August 6 military helicopter crash.
The council said intelligence reports confirmed some early residents at the crash scene had taken helicopter parts and personal belongings from the wreckage.
Source: Facebook
In a statement, it stressed that even the smallest components must be surrendered immediately to local government authorities.
To encourage compliance, the council announced a cash reward for voluntary returns before August 11.
However, it warned that those found retaining items beyond the cutoff would face prosecution.
“Any person found in possession of such items beyond the above date would be deemed a criminal and will face the full rigours of the law.”
During a speech on August 7, President John Mahama announced that the Ghana Armed Forces had launched an official probe into the crash that killed two ministers and six others.
About the Ghana army helicopter crash
An eyewitness at the helicopter crash site claimed the helicopter lost its balance after hitting a tree and a mountain before going down in flames in the thick forest in Adansi Akrofum.
Another eyewitness told the BBC the helicopter was flying at an ‘unusually low altitude’ and that the weather was bad. He said he heard the sound of the helicopter passing by, followed by a loud bang.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were the ministers killed in the crash at Adansi Akrofuom.
The Z-9 helicopter they were travelling in crashed into dense forest as it was flying from the capital, Accra, to the town of Obuasi for a state event.
Who else died in Ghana army helicopter crash?
The four other civilians who died in the crash were identified as Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru, former Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Samuel Sarpong, and former Parliamentary Candidate for Obuasi East, Samuel Aboagye.
The army personnel who died in the crash were identified as Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Their bodies were retrieved and flown to Accra late on August 6. Samples of the remains of the dead have been South Africa for DNA analysis to aid in their identification.
Farmers upset with probe into helicopter crash
YEN.com.gh reported that some farmers were complaining of starvation because the investigations into the August 6 helicopter crash have denied them access to their farms in Adansi Akrofuom.
MP for Akrofrom, Joseph Azumah, urged residents to cooperate with investigations into the crash.
“Now we buy food from the street shops. Rice, gari, among others, are what we buy. If they allow us into the farms, we will be able to harvest our foodstuff,” one of the residents said on August 8.
Source: YEN.com.gh
