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President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all public engagements in the wake of Wednesday’s military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight prominent Ghanaians, including two Cabinet ministers.
The President was scheduled to travel to the Central Region on Thursday, August 7, 2025, for a series of official functions, but the programme was called off following confirmation of the tragedy in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
The ill-fated Ghana Air Force Z-9 helicopter, carrying five senior government officials and three crew members, went off radar shortly after taking off from Accra at 9:12 a.m. and later crashed in the Dampia Range Forest Reserve near Brofoyedru Sikaman. Witnesses reported a loud explosion before the aircraft was engulfed in flames, leaving no survivors.
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Among the deceased are Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, NDC Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, and former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye. The Air Force crew members lost were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Mane-Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Inside the Jubilee House on Thursday morning, the usually lively presidential complex was unusually still. National flags flew at half-mast, and corridors were marked by hushed conversations as aides and officials discussed the scale of the loss.
Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, who formally announced the deaths, described the incident as “a national tragedy of unimaginable proportions” and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the bereaved families.
“The President and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and servicemen who died in service to the country,” he said, adding that the President was deeply affected by the incident and had chosen to focus fully on the nation’s mourning period.
The government has indicated that further announcements will be made regarding state honours and funeral arrangements once investigations into the cause of the crash advance.
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