CONFIRMED: Omane Boamah, Murtala Mohammed among helicopter crash victims
It has been confirmed that all eight persons on board the military helicopter that crashed in the Adansi area of Ashanti Region on Wednesday morning have passed on.
A Ghana Air Force Z9 helicopter carrying eight people went missing after taking off from Accra this morning.
On board were three crew members and five passengers. The aircraft departed the capital at 0912 hours en route to Obuasi but lost radar contact shortly after, according to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
At 2:30 pm, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, at a press briefing from the presidency named the victims and said they included two serving ministers of state and top military officers.
"The government regrets to announce the demise of the following persons in the tragic crash: "Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence, Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, acting Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Mr Samuel Aboagye, a former Parliamentary candidate.
The others are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Amaning Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah. Samuel Sarpong was a former Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) in President J.E.A. Mills era, and later became Ashanti Regional Minister and later Central Regional Minister.
Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala Mohammed on his part was also a Member of Parliament representing the people of Tamale Central.
Ghana Air Force helicopter crashes near Obuasi; 4 burnt beyond recognition
The 8 deceased are;
- Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence
- Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister for Environment
- Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Acting Dep National Security Coordinator
- Samuel Sarpong , Vice Chair, National Democratic Congress
- Samuel Aboagye, a Former Parliamentary Candidate
- Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
- Flying Officer Amaning Twum Ampadu
- Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
Watch below a government press briefing on the latest developments;
The Z9, a utility helicopter often used for transport and medical evacuation, was last tracked over an undisclosed location. The GAF urged media outlets to disseminate the alert, noting: "For favour of publication, please."
