Ghana’s ministers of defence and atmosphere have died in a army helicopter crash within the central Ashanti area, together with six different folks, a authorities spokesperson says.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Surroundings, Science and Expertise Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, had been killed within the crash, which Chief of Employees Julius Debrah described as a “nationwide tragedy”.
Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces mentioned the plane, which was carrying three crew and 5 passengers, had gone “off the radar”.
It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 native time (and GMT) and was heading to the city of Obuasi for an occasion to sort out unlawful mining.
Photos purportedly exhibiting the charred stays of the helicopter are circulating on social media.
The authorities haven’t confirmed the reason for the crash.
The chief of employees has directed the nation’s flags to fly at half-mast.
He prolonged condolences to “the servicemen who died in service to the nation,” on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and the federal government.
Ghana’s Deputy Nationwide Safety Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed was additionally among the many useless, together with Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the governing Nationwide Democratic Congress occasion.
The crew members had been named as Squadron Chief Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
President Mahama was feeling “down, down emotionally”, Schooling Minister Haruna Iddrisu was cited as saying by information company AFP.
Boamah served beneath Mahama’s earlier authorities as communications minister and earlier than that he was minister of atmosphere. As defence minster he tackled jihadist exercise that was brewing within the northern border in Burkina Faso.
Boamah’s e-book A Peaceable Man In An African Democracy, about former president John Atta Mills, was resulting from come out later within the yr.
Muhammed was on the forefront of the battle towards unlawful gold mining, which has wrecked the atmosphere and contaminated rivers and lakes.
Protests towards the follow, recognized domestically as Galamsey, peaked throughout Mahama’s run for the presidency final yr.