Ghana has launched a full-scale investigation into a tragic military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others, including senior political figures and members of the air force crew.
President John Mahama, in a televised address on Thursday, confirmed that the Ghana Armed Forces had begun a “full and transparent investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred on Wednesday.
According to the president, both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered, and a special board of inquiry has been established to determine the cause of the crash.
The helicopter disappeared from radar shortly after departing Accra for Obuasi in southern Ghana. All eight bodies have been recovered, and a state funeral is scheduled for August 15.
“We have lost some of our nation’s brightest minds in a moment of shared heartbreak,” Mahama said, announcing three days of national mourning beginning Thursday, during which all flags will fly at half-mast. He also suspended all official engagements for the remainder of the week.
