Ghana helicopter crashes kill defense and environment ministers

A government spokesman says that the defense and environment ministers in Ghana died in a military helicopter crash in the Central Ashanti area, along with six other people.

Defense Minister Edward Ayman Bamah, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Mortalia Mohamed, 50, was killed in the accident, which was described by the Chief of Staff, Julius Diprah as a “national tragedy”.

Earlier, the armed forces in Ghana said that the plane, which was carrying three crew and five passengers, had “off the radar.”

It started from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the city of Opas to attend an event to handle illegal mining.

Pictures showing that the charred residues of the helicopter are on social media.

The authorities did not confirm the cause of the accident.

The Chief of Staff directed the country’s flags to travel in half of the mast.

He expanded my condolences to “the soldiers who died in service to the country”, on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and the government.

The Deputy National Security Coordinator in Ghana and former Minister of Agriculture, Hajj Monero Mohamed, was among the dead, along with Samuel Sarong, Deputy Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress Party.

The crew members were named as a Peter Bavimi squadron leader, flying officer Manin Toom Asmako, and Sergeant Ernest Ado Minsah.

President Mahama was feeling “emotional,”, the Minister of Education, Haruna Idriso, was martyred by AFP news agency.

Boumah served during the previous Mahaama government as Minister of Communications and before that he was the Environment Minister. As the Minster of Defense, he dealt with the jihadist activity that was brewing in the northern border in Burkina Faso.

Boumay’s book is scheduled to show a peaceful man in African democracy, on former President John Elas Mills, later in the year.

Muhammad was at the forefront of the battle against illegal gold mining, which led to the destruction of the environment, rivers and polluted lakes.

The protests against this practice, known locally as Galamsey, reached its climax during the Matham Racing for the presidency last year.