By Seyi Odewale, with agency report
Ghana was thrown into mourning yesterday following the tragic death of two cabinet ministers and six others in a military helicopter crash in the Ashanti region.
Those confirmed dead include the Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah, and the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
The crash also claimed the lives of three other senior government officials and three members of the Ghana Air Force, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight.
The helicopter, a Z9 model belonging to the Ghana Air Force, had taken off from Accra en route to the gold-mining town of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it lost radar contact and later crashed in the Adansi area.
Describing the tragedy as a “national catastrophe,” President John Mahama’s Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, said the President and government were devastated.
“This is a heart-breaking loss. The President and the government send their deepest condolences to the families of our departed comrades and the Air Force personnel who died in active service,” Debrah told reporters during a press briefing.
Military authorities confirmed that the aircraft had three crew members and five passengers on board. While the identities of the remaining victims are yet to be made public, the Ghanaian Armed Forces have launched a full-scale investigation into the cause of the crash.
Emergency responders and military teams have since been deployed to the crash site to recover remains and secure evidence. Preliminary reports suggest possible mechanical failure or poor weather conditions may have contributed to the disaster.
Videos circulating online showed flaming wreckage in a forested area as residents tried to assist.
The government has called for national prayers in honour of the deceased and declared a period of mourning.
The crash is one of the deadliest air disasters in Ghana in more than a decade. In 2014, a service helicopter went down off the coast, killing three people, while a 2012 cargo plane accident claimed at least ten lives when it overran a runway and crashed into a passenger bus.
Flags are flying at half-mast across the country as Ghanaians grieve the loss of some of their most senior public servants.
