Retired military officer and security analyst, Col. Festus Aboagye (Rtd.), has raised serious concerns over the recovery process of victims in the recent helicopter crash, cautioning that improvised measures may have undermined the forensic integrity of the operation.
In a detailed publication titled “A Forensic Reflection on Emergency Response and the Dignity of National Loss”, Col. Aboagye analyzed the handling of the crash scene and highlighted lapses that could affect both investigations and the dignity accorded to the deceased.
In Section 8.4: Recovery of Remains, he recounted the extreme conditions faced by the emergency response team at the crash site in the Dampia Range Forest Reserve.
“The recovery operation demanded considerable physical endurance, logistical improvisation, and emotional resilience, given the crash site’s remote location—accessible only via a strenuous 120-minute trek from Sikaman,” he wrote. According to him, the multi-agency team, assisted by locals, retrieved the remains of the eight victims in phases: four before nightfall, two later in the evening, and the final two before operations ended.
He noted that the Regional Minister, who was present at the site, personally identified four of the deceased.
While acknowledging the Minister’s role in coordinating efforts, Col. Aboagye warned that such involvement “may have inadvertently led to procedural deviations.”
He was particularly critical of the use of sacks arranged by a local assembly member from Sikaman to transport the remains. He described the method as problematic for forensic integrity, stressing that such improvised measures heightened public sensitivity after media footage showed remains being “fireman” lifted in sacks from the crash zone. “In that terrain, lashing the remains could have been more challenging,” he observed, but noted that the urgency seemed to overshadow the need for professional standards.
Col. Aboagye further reflected on the apparent haste with which the remains were evacuated, questioning whether the urgency was justified. “Media coverage suggests an intense urgency to recover and evacuate the remains, possibly without adequate justification or procedural safeguards to preserve the crash site. If such urgency was warranted, the remains should have been systematically documented—through photography, video, and proper tagging—to enable accurate 3-D reconstruction of the site for forensic analysis. It remains unclear whether these protocols were followed,” he stated.
READ DOCUMENT: A FORENSIC REFLECTION ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND THE DIGNITY OF NATIONAL LOSS
