The crash has been one of Ghana’s worst air disasters in over a decade, according to the Associated Press.
Ghanaian forces said the helicopter took off from the capital Accra in the morning, heading northwest, towards the gold mining area of Ooasi in the Ashanti region. The wreckage was later discovered in the Ashanti area.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and the military said an investigation was underway.
Defence Minister Edward Oman Boama and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtara Muhammad were killed as well as Samuel Salpon, Munir Mohammed, the vice-chairman of the ruling party of the National Democratic Parliament, as well as the four crew members.
Defence Minister Edward Oman Boama and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtara Muhammad were killed as well as Samuel Salpon, Munir Mohammed, the vice-chairman of the ruling party of the National Democratic Parliament, as well as the four crew members.
Mourners gathered at Boama’s residence and party headquarters, and the Ghanaian government described the clash as a “national tragedy.”
State media reported that the aircraft are Z-9 helicopters and are often used for transport and medical evacuation.
MA/PR