- Safiu Kehinde
Two Ghanaian Ministers and six other passengers have died in a military helicopter crash in the Ashanti region.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred at Adansi Akrofuom in the Adansi Akrofuom District, as the officials were en route to a government programme in Obuasi.
According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter conveying Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, and the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, reportedly bursted into flames upon crashing.
The Ghanaian Government’s Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, would further confirm the incident in an official statement.
According to report, the aircraft, confirmed to be a Z9 helicopter operated by the Ghana Armed Forces, had gone missing earlier in the morning before the crash was discovered.
It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the gold-mining town of Obuasi for a national event.
While authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash, Julius has directed the country’s flags to fly at half-mast.