On Wednesday (August 6), a serious air crash occurred in the West African country of Ghana, where a Chinese-made Z-9 military helicopter crashed in the central region. All 8 people on board, including Defense Minister Boamah and Environment, Science, and Technology Minister Muhammad, were killed in the tragic accident.
According to a statement from the Ghanaian military, the helicopter took off from the capital city of Accra at 9:12 am on the same day, heading towards Obuasi in central Ghana to carry out an operation against illegal mining. It lost contact in the Ashanti Region in the middle of the flight and was later confirmed to have crashed.
The crashed helicopter was a Z-9 medium multi-purpose helicopter manufactured by the China Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, based on an improvement of the French AS365 “Dolphin” helicopter. Since its first flight in 1981, it has been widely used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and its allies, including the Ghanaian Air Force.
At the time of the incident, the helicopter was carrying a total of 8 people, including 3 crew members and 5 passengers. Apart from the two cabinet ministers, the passengers also included former Agriculture Minister and current Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, as well as the Vice-Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Sarpong.
The military has recovered all the bodies and transported them back to Accra by military aircraft. Photos circulating on social media show the severely burnt wreckage of the helicopter.
Boamah had previously served as Minister of Communications and Minister of Environment before being appointed as Defense Minister in January this year. His successor will face significant security challenges, including the threat of Islamic extremist forces infiltrating coastal West African countries from the inland countries of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Mohammed had long been dedicated to combating illegal gold mining, activities that cause serious environmental damage and lead to pollution of rivers and lakes. During Mahama’s participation in the presidential election last year, protests against illegal mining reached a peak.
Following the accident, President John Mahama has canceled all his scheduled activities for the week and declared three days of national mourning starting from Thursday. All government institutions will fly flags at half-mast. The President’s Office has also expressed profound condolences to the fallen soldiers and their families.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu disclosed to the media that Mahama is “extremely saddened”.
The helicopter crash occurred just about seven months into President Mahama’s tenure. He was elected in December last year and officially took office in January this year.
The air crash has caused a significant impact on Ghana’s political scene, being referred to by the government as a “national tragedy”, and further investigation results are yet to be disclosed.
【This article referenced reports from the BBC and Reuters】