Ghana’s President John Mahama has promised a full investigation into Wednesday’s helicopter crash that killed two authorities ministers and 6 different folks.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Setting, Science and Expertise Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, have been amongst these killed when a navy plane crashed within the central Ashanti area.
In a televised handle to the nation, Mahama stated the crash represented “a private loss” for him.
“I shared a bond with a lot of those that died. Our nation is grieving,” he stated.
The Z9 helicopter, carrying three crew and 5 passengers, got here down in a dense forest because it was flying from the capital, Accra, to the city of Obuasi for an occasion to sort out unlawful mining. There have been no survivors.
The our bodies of the eight deceased have been recovered from the crash web site, and samples have been despatched to South Africa for forensic identification and evaluation.
Ghana’s Deputy Nationwide Safety Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed was additionally among the many lifeless, together with Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the governing Nationwide Democratic Congress occasion.
A state funeral will likely be held on 15 August for the victims, AFP reported.
What brought about the crash?
Authorities haven’t confirmed the reason for the crash however Mahama confirmed that the flight knowledge and cockpit voice recorders had been retrieved and that Ghana’s armed forces had “initiated a full and clear investigation”.
Ghana’s meteorological company had forecast unusually chilly climate for August, with latest rains and light-weight showers inflicting foggy situations in lots of forest areas. Native farmers close to the crash web site reported morning fog because the helicopter flew overhead.
One eyewitness instructed the BBC the helicopter was flying at an “unusually low altitude” and the climate was dangerous.
He stated he heard the sound of the helicopter passing by, adopted by a “loud sound” after which a “bang”.
“That is after I realised that the helicopter had exploded. So I hurried to the place to see if I may discover survivors,” he stated.
The farmer stated when he received to the scene there was “no-one to be rescued”.
That is essentially the most lethal of three separate emergency incidents involving Ghana Air Power helicopters lately.
In 2020, a Ghana Air Power Harbin Z-9 helicopter made an emergency touchdown close to Tamale Airport, and final yr, one other Ghana Air Power helicopter made an emergency touchdown at Bonsukrom in Ghana’s Western Area.
Three days of nationwide mourning
Many Ghanaians are shocked by the information and are nonetheless struggling to come back to phrases with the information. Photos purportedly displaying the charred stays of the helicopter have been circulating on social media.
President Mahama has suspended all his scheduled actions for the remainder of the week and declared three days of mourning ranging from Thursday.
The nation’s flags are flying at half-mast.
The crew members have been named as Squadron Chief Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Who was Edward Omane Boamah?
Boamah served below Mahama’s earlier authorities as communications minister and earlier than that he was minister of surroundings. As defence minster he tackled jihadist exercise that was brewing within the northern border in Burkina Faso.
In 2022, a France-based NGO, Promediation, stated its analysis confirmed that jihadist teams had recruited between 200 and 300 younger Ghanaians.
Violence within the space has additionally been on the rise, with issues that jihadists could also be making an attempt to use communal in-fighting between rival communities in northern Ghana.
Boamah’s e book A Peaceable Man In An African Democracy, about former president John Atta Mills, was on account of come out later within the yr.
Who was Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed?
Muhammed was on the forefront of the battle in opposition to unlawful gold mining, which has wrecked the surroundings and contaminated rivers and lakes.
Protests in opposition to the follow, identified regionally as Galamsey, peaked throughout Mahama’s run for the presidency final yr.
Extra about Ghana from the BBC:
[Getty Images/BBC]
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