Editor of The NewsCenta Newspaper, Elvis Darko, has advised the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to refrain from defending the use of sacks to transport victims of the August 6 helicopter crash with the explanation that the bodies were too hot.
Speaking on Channel One TVs Breakfast Daily on Thursday, August 14, he stated that the military would be better served by admitting that the tragedy caught them off guard rather than offering justifications that the public finds implausible.
Just admit that it was an oversight and that you were not prepared for the pressure at the moment. Probably, some of your standard operating procedures were not followed strictly, and that is why it happened.
Under pressure, even the President and everyone would have been calling the CDS to confirm if they were at the scene. But that is why institutions like the Armed Forces have procedures no matter the pressure, you stick to them, he said.
Mr. Darko stressed that the handling of victims remains was a sensitive matter and demanded careful communication. He warned that continuing to claim that the bodies were too hot for the available body bags risked further public backlash.
I will advise that the CDS and all others who speak on this issue desist from giving that excuse because nobody will buy it, he said.
The GAF has denied reports that there were no body bags at the crash site, insisting they were present but could not be used due to the condition of the bodies and the circumstances at the time. The military explained that this led to the controversial decision to use sacks.
The August 6 crash, claimed the lives of eight people, including three crew members and five high-profile figures.
Among the dead were Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye; NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong; and Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed.
The fallen crew members were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Investigators have since retrieved the aircrafts black box, which is awaiting examination by experts and the manufacturers to determine the cause of the fatal crash.