President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the DNA samples of the eight victims of the helicopter crash have been successfully identified.
The samples were sent to South Africa for analysis.
The president made the announcement at a memorial service held at the State House on Saturday, August 9, 2025.
According to Mahama, two of the victims were practicing Muslims and would be buried according to Islamic rites at the Military Cemetery on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at 2:30 pm.
The two are Dr Muturla Mohammed and Alhaji Limuna Mohammed.
The burial will follow Jannaza Prayers at the forecourt of the State House at 2:00 pm.
The remaining victims’ burial arrangements will be made at a later date in consultation with their families.
Background
The Minister of Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, confirmed this week that the remains of eight individuals who perished in a military helicopter crash have been transported to South Africa for DNA testing to facilitate identification, owing to their condition necessitating advanced forensic analysis.
“As you may all know, we are grateful to God that we were able to retrieve all the bodies and they were brought to Accra last night. But to speed up the investigation, we obviously need to do further examination and investigation. Just for the avoidance of doubt, some of the forensics that need to be done have to be done outside the country, and that’s why we are trying to fast-track the process.”
He commended the bereaved families for their cooperation despite the difficulties and devastation.
“We know that this evening the President will address the nation and the world, so we hope that we will all be patient and wait for the President’s address. We want to thank the families for the cooperation and support they’ve shown. We know they are grieving and eager to have their family members back to intern them. We’re happy they’re cooperating with us because this goes beyond burying; we’re trying to establish what happened and how things went so that we can avoid it in the future. So, we thank the families for all their support.”
The victims were Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, former Obuasi East NDC Parliamentary Candidate Samuel Aboagye, NDC Vice Chairman and former Kumasi Mayor Dr. Samuel Sarpong, and three Ghana Air Force crew members: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Mane-Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The victims were on a national assignment to Obuasi when their Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter crashed in the Adansi-Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
