By: Henrietta Afful
As Ghana grapples with the devastating loss from Wednesday August 6, 2025 military helicopter crash which claimed eight lives including Ghana’s ministers of defence and environment, the world has taken notice.
Global media outlets have not only reported the facts but echoed the sorrow, respect, and questions surrounding one of the country’s most somber air tragedies in recent history.
Europe
- Spanish newspaper El País reported under the headline “Dos ministros de Ghana mueren en el accidente de un helicóptero militar,” focusing on the loss of high-ranking officials and the ongoing investigation.
- Euronews covered the tragedy extensively, highlighting the crash’s impact on Ghana’s government and national mourning, while providing updates on the investigation and international condolences. Take a read;
Euronews: Helicopter crashes in Ghana killing defence and environment ministers
Videos circulating online showed debris from the helicopter on fire in a remote forest area. Authorities have launched an investigation into the fatal accident that claimed the lives of two ministers and six others on board.
A military helicopter crashed in Ghana late on Wednesday, killing eight people on board including the country’s Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and two other top officials.
The crash was one of the worst Ghanaian air disasters in more than a decade. The country’s military said the helicopter took off from the capital, Accra, and was heading northwest towards the gold-mining area of Obuasi.
Shortly after entering the area in the Ashtani region, the aircraft went off the radar and the wreckage of the aircraft was later located. The military says the cause of the crash is not yet known and a probe has been launched to investigate the incident.
Vice-chair of the National Democratic Congress Samuel Sarpong and top national security advisor Muniru Mohammed were also killed in the crash along with four other crew members.
Ghana’s government described the crash as a “national tragedy”. Mourners gathered at the late defence chief’s residence, as well as the ruling party’s – the National Democratic Congress – headquarters in Accra to pay their respects.
State media reported that the ministers were on board a Z-9 helicopter, often used for transport and medical evacuations, and is generally considered safe.
A video circulating online showed debris of the helicopter on fire, which appears to have crashed in a remote forest area, with people gathered around to help and look for survivors.
Ghana ranks among the highest in Africa in aviation safety. The country’s last air disaster happened in 2014 after three people were killed in a helicopter crash off Ghana’s coast.
In 2012, a cargo plane overran the runway in Accra and crashed into a bus full of passengers, killing at least 10 people.
SOURCE: EURONEWS
El País (Spain):Dos ministros de Ghana mueren en el accidente de un helicóptero militar
“Dos ministros de Ghana mueren en el accidente de un helicóptero militar.” — Describes the crash on August 6, mentions eight fatalities, including ministers Boamah and Muhammed, and notes that the cause remains undetermined with national mourning declared.
BBC News reported on the crash with a focus on the tragic loss of Ghana’s defense and environment ministers, placing the incident in the broader context of Ghana’s political and security challenges. Their coverage included official statements, eyewitness accounts, and information about the government’s response, including the declaration of national mourning.
BBC: Two Ghanaian ministers die in helicopter crash, along with six others
Ghana’s ministers of defence and environment have died in a military helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region, along with six other people, a government spokesperson says.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed,50, were killed in the crash, which Chief of Staff Julius Debrah described as a “national tragedy”.
Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces said the Z9 helicopter, which was carrying three crew and five passengers, had gone “off the radar”.
It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the town of Obuasi for an event to tackle illegal mining.
The eight bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage and have been transferred to the capital, Accra, in a military plane, the Ghana Armed Forces said.
Images purportedly showing the charred remains of the helicopter have been circulating on social media.
President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities for the rest of the week and declared three days of mourning starting from Thursday, according to a statement from his office.
The government, through the president’s chief of staff, directed the country’s flags to fly at half-mast. He also extended condolences to “the servicemen who died in service to the country,” on behalf of President Mahama and the government.
The authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash. The Ghanaian military said investigations had been launched.
Ghana’s Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed was also among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress party.
The crew members were named as Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
President Mahama was feeling “down, down emotionally”, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu was cited as saying by news agency AFP.
Boamah served under Mahama’s previous government as communications minister and before that he was minister of environment. As defence minster he tackled jihadist activity that was brewing in the northern border in Burkina Faso.
In 2022, a France-based NGO, Promediation, said its research showed that jihadist groups had recruited between 200 and 300 young Ghanaians.
Violence in the area has also been on the rise, with concerns that jihadists may be trying to exploit communal in-fighting between rival communities in northern Ghana.
Boamah’s book A Peaceful Man In An African Democracy, about former president John Atta Mills, was due to come out later in the year.
Muhammed was at the forefront of the battle against illegal gold mining, which has wrecked the environment and contaminated rivers and lakes.
Protests against the practice, known locally as Galamsey, peaked during Mahama’s run for the presidency last year.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
North America
AP News led coverage with headlines such as “Helicopter crash in Ghana kills ministers of defense and environment and 6 others,” emphasizing the scale and gravity of the incident. Meanwhile, People magazine highlighted the mission’s significance, noting the officials were on a trip to address illegal mining, and detailed the mourning process declared by the Ghanaian government.
AP: Helicopter crash in Ghana kills ministers of defense and environment and 6 others
A military helicopter crashed in Ghana on Wednesday, killing all eight people on board, including the West African country’s defense and environment ministers and two other top officials, the government said.
The crash was one of Ghana’s worst air disasters in more than a decade.
The Ghanaian military said the helicopter took off in the morning from the capital, Accra, and was heading northwest into the interior toward the gold-mining area of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it went off the radar. The wreckage was later found in the Adansi area of Ashanti.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and the military said an investigation was underway.
Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were killed, as well as Samuel Sarpong, vice-chair of the National Democratic Congress ruling party, Muniru Mohammed, a top national security adviser, and the four crew members.
Mourners gathered at the Boamah’s residence as well as at the party’s headquarters, and Ghana’s government described the crash as a “national tragedy.”
State media reported that the aircraft was a Z-9 helicopter that is often used for transport and medical evacuation.
People: Top Government Officials Killed in Ghana After Military Helicopter Falls Off the Radar and Crashes
A helicopter crash in Ghana on Wednesday, Aug. 6, killed eight people during an official government flight
Top Ghanaian government officials and service personnel were killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Julius Debrah, the government’s chief of staff, announced the news in a televised press conference, hours after a social media post from Ghana’s armed forces said that a Z9 helicopter traveling from the capital city of Accra to the Ashanti region had gone “off the radar.”
“I have the unpleasant duty, suddenly, to announce a national tragedy involving the crash of a military helicopter this morning,” Debrah said.
A cause of the crash has not yet been announced.
All eight passengers aboard the helicopter were confirmed dead, including Edward Omane Boamah, the minister of defense, and Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, the minister of environment, science and technology. The group was on an official trip to investigate illegal mining in the Ashanti region and encourage responsible practices, The New York Times reported.
Other passengers included Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, the acting deputy national security coordinator; Samuel Sarpong, the vice chair of the National Democratic Congress political party; Samuel Aboagye, the deputy director general of Ghana’s disaster relief agency; as well as Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu and Sgt. Ernest Addo Mensah.
“We extend condolences to the bereaved families,” the Ghana Armed Forces said in their statement confirming the tragedy.
“Our hearts are heavy!” read another tribute post. “You served our nation and the colours gallantly. Rest In Peace!”
Additionally, Debrah commanded that all flags in Ghana be flown at half-staff until further notice.
CNN covered the helicopter crash with breaking news updates, highlighting the deaths of high-ranking Ghanaian officials and the circumstances of the crash. Their reporting included reactions from Ghana’s government, international condolences, and expert analysis on the potential implications for Ghana’s political and security landscape.
Two Ghana government ministers among 8 killed in helicopter crash
Ghana’s defense and environment ministers are among eight people killed after a military helicopter crashed in the southern Ashanti region on Wednesday, according to the chief of staff to the Ghanian president.
Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were among the five passengers on board the helicopter, as well as three crew members.
Ghana’s Armed Forces said earlier on Wednesday that it had lost contact with a Z9 helicopter that was en route from the capital of Accra to Obuasi, a mining town in southern Ghana.
Julius Debrah, the chief of staff, said in a video statement that the crash was a “national tragedy” and announced that flags will fly half mast until further notice.
He said that Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, Ghana’s acting deputy national security coordinator, Samuel Sarpong, the vice chairman of the National Democratic Congress and Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate, were the three other passengers killed in the crash.
The helicopter’s crew were named as squadron leader Peter Bafemi Anala, flying officer Malin Twum-Ampadu and Sgt. Ernest Addo Mensah.
SOURCE: CNN
Middle East:
Al Jazeera English reported extensively on the helicopter crash, focusing on the impact of the tragedy on Ghana’s government and society. Their coverage included detailed accounts of the victims, official responses, and reflections on the broader challenges facing Ghana’s military and political landscape. They also highlighted the international community’s expressions of sympathy and solidarity.
Ghana helicopter crash kills defence, environment ministers
Footage from a forest in Ghana’s Ashanti region showed smouldering wreckage from a helicopter crash that killed the country’s defence and environment ministers. Three other officials and three air force crew members were also killed.
Reflection
As the world continues to process this tragedy, one thing is clear: the loss felt in Ghana has resonated far beyond its borders. The outpouring of international coverage stands as a reminder that in moments of profound loss, global solidarity and compassion prevail.
