Ghana, Africa: Eight people, including two senior Ghanaian government ministers, were killed when a Ghana Air Force military helicopter crashed in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, August 6. The aircraft, identified as a Harbin Z-9, was en route from Kotoka International Airport in Accra to the Obuasi area when it lost contact with air traffic control and crashed in the Adansi North District. The crash site was located in a remote forested area, and emergency services reported that the wreckage was discovered ablaze, with no survivors.
Among the deceased were Edward Omane Boamah, Ghana’s Minister of Defence, and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. Other victims included Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC); Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; and four crew members from the Ghana Air Force. The Ghana Armed Forces confirmed that the helicopter was on an official government mission at the time of the incident. Eyewitnesses in nearby communities reported hearing a loud explosion, though this account has not yet been officially corroborated.
Ghana’s Parliament held an emergency session where lawmakers observed a minute of silence and called for a comprehensive review of military aviation operations. The Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the crash. The bodies of the victims were transported to the 37 Military Hospital Morgue in Accra. Burial procedures were delayed due to identification processes and post-mortem examinations.
The Harbin Z-9 helicopter, a Chinese-built version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, has been in Ghana’s military fleet since the early 2010s. The Ghana government has not released a timeline for the investigation’s findings, but authorities have assured the public that all necessary steps will be taken to determine the cause of the crash.
