Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has joined a national outpouring of grief following a military helicopter crash on Wednesday that killed eight people, including senior government and security officials.
The crash occurred in the Adansi Akrofuom District of Ghana’s Ashanti Region, claiming the lives of Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, and Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru Mohammed. Several members of the Ghana Armed Forces were also among the casualties.
In a statement posted on social media, Mr. Akufo-Addo described the incident as a “national tragedy” that had left the country “profoundly shocked and saddened.”
“I have spoken and extended my deepest condolences to the President of the Republic, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, and to Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC,” the former president said.
Mr. Akufo-Addo also expressed solidarity with the Ghana Air Force and paid tribute to the service members who died in the crash. “I console with our gallant men of the Ghana Air Force at this concerning time and salute their indispensable role in the public life of our country,” he said.
The government has ordered all national flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which remains unknown as of press time.
“May they find peaceful rest in the Bosom of the Almighty, until the Last Day of the Resurrection, when we shall all meet again,” Akufo-Addo concluded.
