Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Edward Boamah, and Minister of Environment, Ibrahim Mohammed, were among eight fatalities in a military helicopter crash in the southern Ashanti Region on Wednesday.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident involved a Z-9 helicopter of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The aircraft had lost communication while en route from the capital, Accra, to Obuasi, a gold-mining town in the south. It had five passengers and three crew members on board.
Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff to President John Mahama, confirmed the crash and casualties in a statement.
Mahama noted that flags nationwide would be flown at half-mast in honour of the victims.
The statement reads, “The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country.”
The cause of the crash is yet to be determined, but investigations are ongoing.
Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the helicopter was reported missing.
