A tragic military helicopter crash occurred in Ghana on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of all eight individuals aboard, including prominent government figures such as the Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and the Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed. This devastating incident marks one of the most significant air disasters in Ghana in over a decade.
The Ghanaian military reported that the helicopter, which took off from the capital city, Accra, was en route to the gold-mining region of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it lost radar contact. The wreckage was later located in the Adansi area. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with military authorities working to uncover what led to this catastrophic event.
Among the deceased were key officials, including Samuel Sarpong, vice-chair of Ghana’s ruling National Democratic Congress party, and Muniru Mohammed, a senior national security adviser, alongside the helicopter’s crew members. The loss has been described as a “national tragedy” by the Ghanaian government, prompting public mourning at both Boamah’s residence and the headquarters of the ruling party.
State media identified the downed aircraft as a Z-9 helicopter, typically utilised for transport and medical evacuations. Disturbingly, social media footage from the crash site depicted flames engulfing debris in a forested area, with onlookers attempting to assist in the aftermath.
This incident echoes previous aviation tragedies in Ghana, including a 2014 helicopter crash off the coast that claimed at least three lives and a 2012 accident where a cargo plane overran a runway in Accra, colliding with a bus and resulting in at least ten fatalities. Investigations into the recent crash are actively ongoing to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this heart-wrenching event.