Helicopter Crash In Ghana Kills Ministers Of Defense And Environment And 6 Others

ACCRA, Ghana — A subject chopper collapsed successful Ghana connected Wednesday, sidesplitting each 8 group connected board, including nan West African country’s defense and situation ministers and 2 different apical officials, nan authorities said.

The clang was 1 of Ghana’s worst aerial disasters successful much than a decade.

The Ghanaian subject said nan chopper took disconnected successful nan greeting from nan capital, Accra, and was heading northwest into nan interior toward the gold-mining area of Obuasi successful nan Ashanti region erstwhile it went disconnected nan radar. The wreckage was later recovered successful nan Adansi area of Ashanti.

The origin of nan clang was not instantly known, and nan subject said an investigation was underway.

Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were killed, arsenic good arsenic Samuel Sarpong, vice-chair of nan National Democratic Congress ruling party, Muniru Mohammed, a apical nationalist information adviser, and nan 4 unit members.

Mourners gathered astatine nan Boamah’s residence arsenic good arsenic astatine nan party’s headquarters, and Ghana’s authorities described nan clang arsenic a “national tragedy.”

State media reported that nan craft was a Z-9 chopper that is often utilized for carrier and aesculapian evacuation.

An online video of nan clang tract shows debris connected occurrence successful a wood arsenic immoderate group circle astir to help.

In May 2014, a work chopper collapsed disconnected Ghana’s coast, sidesplitting astatine slightest 3 people. In 2012, a cargo level overran nan runway successful Accra, nan capital, and collapsed into a autobus afloat of passengers, sidesplitting astatine slightest 10 people.