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A military helicopter crashed in Ghana late Wednesday, killing all passengers on board, including Defence Minister Edward Oman Boama, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad and two other senior officials.
The collision has been one of Ghana’s worst air disasters for over a decade. The country’s troops said the helicopters have taken off from the capital Accra and headed northwest towards the gold mining area of Ooasi.
Shortly after entering the area in the Ashtani area, the aircraft was off the radar and the remains of the aircraft were later found. The military says the cause of the crash is not yet known and an investigation has been launched to investigate the incident.
Samuel Salpon, vice-chairman of the National Democratic Parliament, and Munir Mohammed, the top national security adviser, were also killed in a crash along with four other crew members.
The Ghanaian government described this crashe as a “national tragedy.” Not only did mourners gather at the residence of the late defence chief, but the National Democratic Conference of the ruling party – to pay tribute to Accra’s headquarters.
State media reported that the minister was riding a Z-9 helicopter, often used for transport and medical evacuation, and is generally considered safe.
A video circulating online showed that the helicopter fragments were on fire. This appears to have been crashed in a remote forest area.
Ghana is ranked as the highest in Africa for aviation safety. The country’s last air disaster occurred in 2014 after three people were killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Ghana.
In 2012, a freight plane covered the Accra runway and crashed into a bus full of passengers, killing at least 10 people.
Additional sources •AP
