Among the victims are the holders of the ministries of Defense (Edward Omane Boamah) and Environment (Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed). President Mahama declares three days of national mourning

A terrible tragedy has shaken Ghana. A Harbin Z-9EH helicopter of the Ghana Air Force crashed yesterday in a forested area of the Ashanti region, causing the death of all eight people on board. Among the victims were two prominent government members: the Defense Minister, Edward Omane Boamah, and the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed. The accident, according to sources from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), occurred while the delegation was en route to Obuasi to attend a government forum dedicated to combating "galamsey", the rampant illegal mining phenomenon that plagues the country.

In an official statement, the GAF spokesperson reconstructed the helicopter’s last hours. The aircraft took off at 9:12 am from Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra, heading northwest. Radar contact was suddenly lost while flying over the interior area of the mining region. Search and rescue operations, launched immediately, concluded with the tragic discovery of the wreckage engulfed in flames on a hill. National security sources described a devastating scene, with the helicopter debris destroyed by a post-crash fire that rendered the victims’ remains unrecognizable.

In addition to the two ministers, the following also lost their lives: the Deputy Coordinator of National Security Muniru Mohammed Limuna, the Vice President of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and the three crewmembers: squadron leader Peter Bafemi Anala, flight officer Twum Ampadu, and sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah. Initially, the President of the Republic, John Mahama, was scheduled to attend the event, but he delegated his ministers due to another concurrent official engagement.

The causes of the accident have not yet been determined. Early hypotheses, put forward by local observers and reported by Ghanaian press, suggest that the disaster could have been triggered by adverse weather conditions or a sudden technical failure. The Armed Forces have announced the establishment of an investigative commission to clarify the accident’s circumstances. The Ghana National Fire Service also confirmed its involvement in the investigation in collaboration with other state security agencies.

The news plunged the entire Nation into grief. Chief of Staff Julius Debrah called the event a “national tragedy” and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on all public buildings. A government delegation led by him received the somber return of the remains at Accra airport. President Mahama suspended all public activities and declared three days of national mourning starting today, August 7. Parliament, in a statement, expressed its condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims, to whom Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang personally conveyed the government’s sympathies. The identification procedures for the remains have made it necessary to postpone the funerals for the Muslim victims, initially scheduled for today.

The Harbin Z-9EH is a Chinese-made naval platform known for its versatility, a variant of the Z-9, itself a Chinese-licensed version of the French Eurocopter AS-365 Dauphin. It is primarily employed by the People’s Liberation Army Navy and other security forces for anti-insurgency warfare, anti-ship operations, and search and rescue (SAR) missions.

Below, in the Firstpost video on YouTube, footage from the crash site: