2 ministers, 6 others die in military helicopter crash
Story by Susan Mbamah
Ghana is in mourning after a military helicopter crash on Wednesday killed eight people, including two high-ranking government officials: Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
According to a statement from the Ghanaian Presidency, the Ghana Air Force helicopter departed Accra at 9:00 a.m. en route to Obuasi. The aircraft, which carried “three crew members and five passengers,” went off-radar during the flight. All eight people on board were confirmed dead at the crash site.
The tragedy has shaken Ghana’s political community. President John Mahama had appointed Dr. Boamah as Defence Minister earlier this year. Boamah, a medical doctor, had a long career in government, including serving as Minister of Communications and as Deputy Minister for Environment.
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He was a key figure in addressing growing insecurity along Ghana’s northern border with Burkina Faso and had recently led a delegation to Burkina Faso to discuss regional security.
Also among the victims were Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, the Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister, and Samuel Sarpong, the Vice Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In response to the crash, President Mahama’s Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, announced the suspension of all presidential engagements and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. “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,” Debrah stated.
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The Ghana Armed Forces are expected to launch a formal investigation into the cause of the crash as tributes continue to pour in for the deceased.
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