A courageous man from Bonsukrom in the Ahanta West Municipality shared his account of being hindered by a soldier while attempting to save more victims of a Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) personnel helicopter crash.
The unidentified man recounted observing a helicopter from afar as it made an abrupt landing in their community, its front end pointing downward.
He believed it was due to a brake failure.
In a bid to minimise damage, an emergency landing was executed, resulting in injuries to those on board.
The man managed to rescue nine individuals but was halted by a soldier while trying to save others.
He expressed concern that had the soldier perished, blame might have been wrongly placed on him.
“I witnessed the helicopter making a sudden stop, indicating a potential crash due to brake failure. Despite managing to save nine victims, I was prevented from aiding the tenth, despite his critical condition,” the man narrated.
A Ghana Air Force helicopter crash-landed in Bonsokrom, within the Ahanta West Municipality in the Western Region.
Eyewitnesses reported that the helicopter, which was reportedly carrying 14 individuals, including staff from the Petroleum sector regulators, landed in a bush near the Bonsokrom community.
Despite the alarming nature of the incident, all personnel and crew onboard the aircraft are safe and have been rescued by Air Force personnel.
The crash site has been cordoned off from public access by Air Force personnel.
Details regarding the flight’s origin and destination remain unclear. It is uncertain whether the helicopter was en route from offshore locations to Takoradi or was travelling from Takoradi to Accra at the time of the crash.
However, an official statement by the Ghana Armed Forces disclosed that on board were 21 passengers made up of staff of Ghana National Gas Company who were returning from a routine inspection of Atuabo gas plant when an emergency landing occurred.
See video below:
Some residents of Bonsukrom community in the Ahanta West Municipality have refuted the emergency landing statement by the Ghana Armed Forces after one of their helicopters crashed near the community yesterday afternoon.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) March 20, 2024
Speaking to Citi News away from the heavily guarded scene… pic.twitter.com/jYV9eC2SBG