A helicopter crash has resulted in the deaths of all eight individuals on board, including the ministers of defence and environment of the nation, as reported by the government of Ghana.

Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among those who perished in the crash that occurred in the southern Ashanti region, according to Julius Debrah, chief of staff to President John Mahama, on Wednesday.

“The president and the government express their condolences and solidarity with the families of our comrades and soldiers who lost their lives in service to the nation,” Debrah stated.

Also among the deceased were Alhaji Mohammad Muniru Limuna, the deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, as well as Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.

At the time of the incident, Boamah was leading Ghana’s defence ministry during a period of increasing unrest from armed groups across the northern border in Burkina Faso.

While Ghana has managed to avoid a spillover of rebel activity from the Sahel – unlike its neighbors Togo and Benin – experts have cautioned about rising arms trafficking and the potential for fighters from Burkina Faso to cross the porous border and use Ghana as a base.

A trained medical doctor, Boamah’s government career included roles as communications minister during Mahama’s previous term from 2012 to 2017. Prior to that, he served as the deputy minister for the environment.

As Ghana has sought to enhance diplomatic relations with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – all governed by military regimes that have distanced themselves from the ECOWAS West African regional bloc – Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou in May.

He was scheduled to publish a book titled, A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy, focusing on former President John Atta Mills, who passed away in 2012.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ghanaian Armed Forces reported that an air force helicopter had lost radar contact shortly after taking off from Accra just after 9:00 am (09:00 GMT). The helicopter was en route to the town of Obuasi, located northwest of the capital.

The announcement indicated that there were three crew members and five passengers on board, but it did not clarify at that moment that the ministers were included among them.

Debrah stated that all flags were to be flown at half-staff, while the presidency announced that Mahama had called off his official engagements for the day.