Ghana military helicopter crash kills 8, including ministers and senior officers

A Ghana Armed Forces helicopter carrying government ministers and senior military officers has crashed, killing all eight on board, according to officials.

The Z9 helicopter took off from Accra at 9:12 a.m. local time on Wednesday en route to the city of Obuasi but went down near Sikaman, in the Ashanti Region. The Ghana Armed Forces said all passengers and crew are feared dead.

The passengers included Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology; and Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator.

Also on board were Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate, along with three crew members.

The Ghana Armed Forces expressed condolences to the victims’ families and pledged a full investigation. “Our thoughts are with the families of our fallen colleagues and the people of Ghana during this difficult time,” the military said in a statement.

Ghana, a West African nation of about 34 million people, is considered one of the region’s most stable democracies.