Helicopter Crash: Ghana Armed Forces Cautions Media Against Speculative Reporting on Incident

• The Ghana Armed Forces has appealed to the media, bloggers, and others, over the coverage of the army helicopter crash
• A Z-9 military helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6, 2025
• The Ghana Armed Forces is currently engaged in a probe of the tragic helicopter crash that killed eight people on board

The Ghana Armed Forces has urged the media to avoid speculative reporting on the August 6 helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region.

The army has noted that there have been speculative and unsubstantiated commentaries on the crash.

In the statement, the army said conjecture on the crash was premature and misleading.

"For the sake of the bereaved families and loved ones, the Armed Forces urges media practitioners, panellists, social commentators, bloggers and content creators to be circumspect in their reportage as a way of according respect to the memories of the fallen heroes and to mitigate the sorrows of the bereaved families."

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"The Armed Forces wishes to acknowledge the immense public interest in the accident, assuring that, painstaking investigations have begun to unravel the cause of the crash," the statement continued.

What happened in Ghana army helicopter crash?

The August 6 helicopter crash killed eight people, including two ministers.

Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were killed when the helicopter they were travelling in went down in the Adansi Akrofuom district.

The helicopter the officials were travelling in crashed into a dense forest as it was flying from Accra to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.

The other civilians who died in the crash were former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru and National Democratic Congress Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, while the army personnel who died in the crash were Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala and Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu.

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Assurance from Mahama on GAF helicopter crash

President John Mahama previously gave assurance that the GAF had launched an official probe into the crash.

He said an Investigative Board of Inquiry had also been established to determine the cause of the tragic incident.

“I want to assure the families and the nation that the Ghana Armed Forces has initiated a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances of this crash.”

He also replaced the ministers temporarily, with Dr Cassiel Ato Forson serving as acting Defence Minister and Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah overseeing the Environment, Science and Technology portfolio.

The presidency, in a statement on August 7, said the respective ministers had been asked to take on these additional duties, with no timeline given for the filling of the two posts.

Sam George says internet shutdown was considered

YEN.com.gh also recently reported that the Minister for Communications faced criticism after stating he had considered an internet shutdown to halt the circulation of videos from the August 6 helicopter crash site.

Sam George, however, admitted that there would have been a negative ripple effect that would be much worse. Online criticism has been rife after footage of the remains of the eight victims circulated widely on social media.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh