Economic Advisor at the Office of the Vice President, Dr. Sharif Khalid, has urged the public and commentators to avoid making unverified claims about last Wednesday’s deadly military helicopter crash, warning that speculation could fuel unnecessary rumours.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, August 9, Dr. Khalid stressed that in the absence of authoritative information, drawing links between the crash and the President’s travel arrangements is unhelpful and risks clouding the facts.
“We need to refrain if we cannot actively say that the helicopter that crashed is what the President was going to sit in. If we cannot authoritatively say that this is what it is, then making such comparisons only fills the air with rumour-mongering. When we have such high-profile issues and the discussion is this murky, it is not helpful,” he cautioned.
His comments come amid heightened public interest following the August 6 crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, which claimed the lives of several high-ranking government officials and military officers.
The victims include Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Muniru Mohammed; former parliamentary candidate, Samuel Aboagye; and NDC Vice Chairman, Samuel Sarpong.
Also among the dead were three Ghana Armed Forces personnel: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Preliminary information indicates that the Z-9 military helicopter was flying from Accra to Obuasi when it went off radar before crashing. The cause of the accident is yet to be established.
The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has called for a thorough independent investigation to determine the root cause of the incident and to implement measures to avert future tragedies.
A state funeral for the victims has been scheduled for Friday, August 15. Samples of their remains have been sent to South Africa for DNA analysis to aid identification ahead of burial.
