Introduction
ON August 6, 2025, a devastating Z-9 helicopter crash shook our nation to its core. As the dust settled, Ghana’s forensic community has stepped forward, not only to uncover scientific truths but to provide the needed narrative to be ardently captured in our national disaster emergency preparedness plan to uphold dignity and compassion for victims and their families. This article, aims to illuminate the often unseen procedures that follow such tragedies. Through the prism of forensic expertise, it documents the essential steps from site recovery to identification designed to ensure respect, accuracy, and healing.
Procedures at the
disaster site
At the crash scene, forensic first responders must follow a disciplined sequence of actions. Their overriding priority is saving lives followed by expert management of human remains. Each recovered body must be assigned a unique alphanumeric code, combining the location, team name, and sequential number vital for traceability.
Immediate documentation includes detailed photography and data recording, ideally before decomposition begins. Photographs should capture full-body and facial views, distinguishing features, personal effects, and include the body code for later identification. First responders must also fill out a “Dead Body Information Form,” capturing physical details and scene context.
Transfer of human
remains
Once bodies have been coded, photographed, and documented, they require secure, respectful transfer. The use of body bags or similar sealed containers is imperative. It must be durable, waterproof, and properly labelled to preserve dignity and prevent contamination. However in situations of unavailability, plastic sheets, shrouds, bed sheets, or other locally available material can be used in a culturally and religiously sensitive manner. Handling must respect chain-of-custody protocols. At least two handlers should oversee removal or movement, documenting transfers carefully and maintaining labels on both the body and its container. The use of stretchers or plastic skeds may be required to safely lift or move heavy or fragile remains.
Holding and
examination site
Transferred remains must be moved to a dedicated holding area or temporary morgue, where further processing can occur. Ideally, this location is cooler, shielded from direct sunlight, scavengers, and public view. If refrigeration is unavailable, carefully managed temporary burial may serve as interim storage, but only after coding, photography, and documentation are complete.
Temporary burial sites must be respectful and traceable: bodies placed individually (not piled), buried at least 1.5 m deep, located away from water sources, and meticulously mapped so each body’s location is recorded.
Viewing area
Where cultural or legal norms permit, establishing a viewing area gives families the chance to see loved ones before formal disposition. This must be managed sensitively, under controlled, supervised conditions to balance mourning with orderly procedure. The principles of dignity, safety, and informed, respectful access are embedded throughout.
Examination Area
In the examination site, forensic experts conduct thorough external—and when required, internal examinations. Handling here calls for strict adherence to safety protocols: standard precautions, protective equipment, and awareness of disease risks, even if those risks are lower postmortem. Health research confirms that bodies from traumatic disasters typically pose minimal risk of infection to the public. Yet, risks from contact with bloodborne pathogens (like hepatitis or HIV), especially through sharps or open wounds, mandate careful safeguards during examination. This ensures forensic accuracy without compromising staff safety.
Conclusion
In the aftermath of the Z-9 helicopter tragedy, Ghana’s forensic practitioners have a profound responsibility to collaborate with Disaster Management Authorities and other stakeholders: to ensure that every life lost is also seen, recorded, and remembered with dignity.
Through structured procedures: unique coding, meticulous documentation, secure transfer, respectful storage, regulated viewing, and safe examination as captured in international disaster management standards (i.e. PAHO/WHO/ ICRC guidelines)— the forensic approach honors both scientific precision and human decency. When tragedy strikes, it is in these protocols that healing, justice, and collective memory can begin.
The writers are medical professionals
BY DR LAWRENCE KOFI ACHEAMPONG & PROF. FRANCIS AGYEMANG YEBOAH
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