A military helicopter has crashed in the central Ashanti region of Ghana, a West African Country. Ministers of defence and that of Environment, Science and Technology Minister and six other people have died. The Z9 helicopter, carrying three crew and five passengers, came down in a dense forest as it was flying from the capital, Accra. They had flown to the town of Obuasi for an event to tackle illegal mining. There were no survivors.
Eight bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage and transported to Accra in coffins draped in the Ghanaian flag. A solemn ceremony was held at the Air Force Base to receive them. Plans to bury the Muslims among the deceased on Thursday have been postponed pending full identification of the bodies.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, were killed in the crash, which Chief of Staff Julius Debrah described as a "national tragedy".
Ghana's meteorological agency had forecast unusually cold weather for August, with recent rains and light showers causing foggy conditions in many forest areas.
This is the most deadly of three separate emergency incidents involving Ghana Air Force helicopters in recent years.
In 2020, a Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter made an emergency landing near Tamale Airport, and last year, another Ghana Air Force helicopter made an emergency landing at Bonsukrom in Ghana's Western Region
President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week and declared three days of mourning starting from Thursday.
