Defence, Environment Minister & 6 others die in military aircraft crash

The Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, and the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, have been pronounced dead as a result of the tragic military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

The helicopter was carrying eight individuals, including three crew members and five passengers, among them the ministers, a presidential staffer identified as Samuel Sarpong, and the ministers’ security detail.

The tragic news was confirmed at a brief press conference by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.
In his address, Mr Debrah conveyed the President’s condolences and announced that all national flags would fly at half-mast in honour of the deceased.

“The President and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country,” the Chief of Staff told reporters at the press conference.

The government officials were en route to the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme when the Z-9 helicopter they were travelling in went off the radar shortly after taking off from Accra.

Emergency response teams were swiftly deployed to the crash site, where the wreckage was found engulfed in flames. Images from the scene revealed the charred remains of the aircraft and victims. Authorities have yet to release a complete list of the deceased or injured.