Ghana declares three days of national mourning after fatal helicopter crash

Accra: Ghana has declared a three-day national mourning, beginning on Thursday, following a helicopter crash that killed the country’s Defence and Environment Ministers and six others.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities and programmes for the rest of the week, following the national tragedy, according to a statement from the presidency late Wednesday.

The government has directed that all flags must fly at half-mast until further notice, the statement said.

A military helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning, killing all eight occupants, including Defence Minister Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a related development, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, expressed his condolences to the President, the government and people of Ghana, and the bereaved families of all those who lost their lives in the crash.

“He also expresses his solidarity with the Ghana Armed Forces and the ruling National Democratic Congress during this difficult time,” an AU statement quoted Youssouf as saying. (IANS)

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