'It has been a long, heavy and hard year': Widow of Ghana helicopter crash victim speaks of family's grief

The widow of one of the eight people killed in Ghana's military helicopter crash last year has described the past 12 months as "a very long, heavy and hard year" for the bereaved families.

Speaking on behalf of the widows at a national inter-faith memorial service in Accra on Wednesday, Naval Lieutenant Ewuradwoa Kumi-Kyeremeh, whose husband Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu was among those killed, said the reality of their loss remained difficult to accept.

"I know I speak on behalf of all the other seven women who lost their husbands a year ago that this past year has been a very long, heavy and hard year," she said.

"Even now, it is hard to reconcile their memories with the actuality that we've lost our partners."

The memorial marked the first anniversary of the military helicopter crash in the Adansi area of Ghana's Ashanti Region, which killed eight senior government officials and military personnel travelling on official duty.

Among those who died were Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, senior national security official Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, National Democratic Congress Vice-Chairman Samuel Sarpong, Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation Samuel Aboagye, Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

Lieutenant Kumi-Kyeremeh recounted a recent incident that brought back memories of the tragedy.

She said she was attending an inter-service quiz competition when someone jokingly shouted "Mayday" – the internationally recognised distress call used in aviation emergencies.

"I immediately started panicking because I was wondering if that's how the final moments were for our husbands on that day," she said.

She also described the quiet moments that continue to remind her of her husband's absence.

"I have lost count of the number of times I have pulled out my phone to share a picture with him, only to remember that I will not get a response."

Despite her grief, she said her Christian faith had sustained her through the past year.

"It has been hard, but it is well," she said. "I stand here today grateful for my faith in God. It would have been an even scarier nightmare without God."

She thanked the Presidency, the Military High Command and members of the Ghana Armed Forces for supporting the bereaved families following the crash.

Lieutenant Kumi-Kyeremeh also paid tribute to relatives, friends and religious leaders who had stood by her during what she described as the most difficult period of her life.

"It truly takes a village when it comes to grief and grieving," she said.

She revealed that even while mourning her own husband, she had tried to support other women coping with the loss of their spouses, urging anyone facing a similar experience not to lose hope.

"It may not get any better soon, but it will not always be this heavy," she said.

Quoting Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, she reflected on the lasting nature of grief while encouraging people to cherish the time they have with loved ones.

"Such wounds to the heart will probably never heal, but we cannot simply sit and stare at our wound forever. Let us make the most of what we have while we have it to honour the memory of our beloved ones."

She ended her address with a prayer that Ghana would never again experience a tragedy of such magnitude.

"I pray that a tragedy of such proportions never repeats itself," she said.