According to a report by Ghanaweb on Saturday, August 9, 2025, in the midst of national mourning for the victims of the tragic helicopter crash on August 6, 2025, the family of Squadron Leader Peter Abaafeme Anala faces a grief that runs even deeper.
Reports reveal that Peter was the third sibling their family has lost in just five months, a devastating reality that underscores a broader sorrow beyond the crash alone .
The tragedy first struck on March 31, 2025, when the Anala family lost their elder sister, Grace Lena Anala, in Virginia, USA.
Her passing was deeply felt, and her funeral, held on June 2, was reportedly conducted by her brother, Rev. Fr. Anthony Anala SVD, a Catholic priest serving in Mississippi .
Tragically, grief repeated itself in rapid succession. Rev. Fr. Anthony Anala SVD passed away on June 20, 2025, and was laid to rest on June 24.
Described by mourners as a source of spiritual strength and familial unity, his sudden death compounded the family’s heartbreak .
Barely two months later, the final blow: Squadron Leader Peter Abaafeme Anala perished in the helicopter crash that claimed eight lives, including government ministers and Ghana Air Force personnel, during an official flight to Obuasi .
Peter, who was born on November 2, 1989, at Siniesi in the Upper East Region, had dedicated over a decade to serving his nation.
A graduate of St. James Seminary Secondary School in Sunyani and later the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), he enlisted in the Ghana Military Academy in June 2013 and was commissioned into the Aircrew Branch by October of that year.
At the time of his passing, he served as a pilot in the No. 8 Helicopter Wing, flying the Z-9 helicopter. He is survived by his wife and child .
For the Anala family, the period between March and early August 2025 has been marked by a pain few can fathom—losing a sister, then a brother who was a revered priest, and finally their beloved Squadron Leader.
Each loss alone would be shattering; together, they paint a picture of a family besieged by sorrow.
As Ghana mourns the fallen heroes, the Anala family’s story reveals the personal cost of the tragedy—one that extends beyond public tragedy into deeply intimate grief.
In the face of national loss, theirs is a story of compounded sorrow, resilience, and the weight of multiple goodbyes in too short a time.
Let me know if you’d like to explore tributes to Peter Anala or coverage of other families affected by this tragedy.
