Helicopter crash: Wrong words deepen grief – Bishop Korankye-Mensah

Bishop Fred Korankye-Mensah, a counselling psychologist and pastor of the Transformation Assembly, has called on Ghanaians to approach grieving families with greater sensitivity, especially in the aftermath of the August 6 military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight prominent citizens.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, August 9, Bishop Korankye-Mensah cautioned mourners against rushing to offer words that may unintentionally cause more pain. He stressed that the most valuable comfort often comes from simply being present.

“Instead of being in a hurry to speak, just be there with your presence. In the time of grieving, your presence is very important. Your words are secondary. So just be there with your presence, study the environment and say the right things,” he said.

He explained that in many cases, non-verbal gestures can convey more compassion than spoken condolences.

“When they are crying, you can give them a touch, you can hold their hands if it is allowed by their tradition and by their culture and then just be there with your presence. The things you say can worsen their situation,” he cautioned.

Sharing a personal experience, Bishop Korankye-Mensah recalled losing his father at the age of nineteen, only to be met with a comment from his pastor that left him unsettled rather than comforted.

“I remember when my father died… my pastor told me that it is God who has taken my father, and I was like this doesn’t make sense. I need my father here to pay my school fees, what does God need him in heaven for? If you can’t say the right things just keep quiet and be there with your presence.”

His advice comes as Ghana continues to mourn the deaths of senior government officials and military personnel in the Adansi Akrofuom District crash, including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.

Also killed were Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

The Ghana Armed Forces reported that the Z-9 helicopter, with three crew members and five passengers, went “off the radar” after departing Accra at 09:12 GMT for Obuasi, where the officials were to participate in an anti-illegal mining event. A search-and-rescue mission later confirmed there were no survivors.

A flower-laying ceremony, which began on Thursday, August 7, is part of a series of national mourning events ahead of a state burial set for August 15, 2025.