Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among the eight individuals killed in a military helicopter accident in Ghana’s Ashanti region. The Z9 plane disappeared from radar on Wednesday shortly after 9:12 AM local time while traveling 200 kilometers northwest from the capital Accra to the gold-mining town of Obuasi. The wreckage was discovered by rescue crews in the Adansi Akrofuom neighborhood, and horrific photos revealed burnt bodies mixed in with the rubble.
Across the country, President John Mahama ordered flags to be flown at half-mast and canceled all official events. According to Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, it was a “national tragedy,” and he offered his sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives “in service to the country.
Three members of the aircrew and five government officials were among the deceased. In addition to the ministers, the crash claimed the lives of former agricultural minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, the deputy national security coordinator, Samuel Sarpong, the vice-chair of the ruling NDC party, and former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye. The crew consisted of seasoned Ghana Air Force members Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala.
The aircraft lost communication as it was en route to an anti-illegal mining event near Obuasi, a place grappling with environmental degradation caused by gold extraction. Investigators were baffled as to why no distress call had been made before to the disaster.
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