Ghana is mourning the tragic loss of two senior government ministers and six others after a military helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from the capital, Accra, on Tuesday morning.
Among the victims were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Minister of Environment Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, according to Ghanaian media and official confirmation by Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
“The President and government extend their deepest condolences and solidarity to the families of our fallen comrades and the soldiers who died in the line of duty,” Debrah said in an official statement.
Also killed in the crash were Mohammed Munir Limuna, former Agriculture Minister and National Security Coordinator, and Samuel Sarpong, Deputy Chair of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.
According to initial reports, the military helicopter vanished from radar screens just minutes after taking off from Accra en route to Obuasi, a town in the Ashanti Region.
The government has launched a full investigation into the cause of the accident. Ghana’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that a team of security and civil protection personnel were dispatched to the crash site to retrieve information and assist recovery efforts.
President John Mahama immediately suspended all official engagements and ordered the national flag flown at half-mast in honour of the victims. In a brief statement, the Presidency said, “All necessary measures will be taken to determine the cause of this tragedy and prevent future occurrences.”
The helicopter took off at 9:00 a.m. local time, and communication with air traffic control was lost shortly thereafter. Local media published images of the crash site showing the mangled wreckage of the aircraft in a remote area.
The country is expected to hold official mourning ceremonies in the coming days as investigations continue.
