On Wednesday, a military helicopter crash in Ghana claimed the lives of all eight people on board, marking one of the country’s worst air disasters in over a decade. Among the victims were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Samuel Sarpong (vice-chair of the ruling National Democratic Congress), Muniru Mohammed (a top national security adviser), and four military crew members.

The helicopter departed from Ghana’s capital, Accra, in the morning and was headed northwest toward the gold-mining town of Obuasi in the Ashanti Region. However, it lost contact with air traffic control and was later found crashed in the Adansi area, also in Ashanti.

The cause of the crash is not yet known, and the Ghanaian military has launched an investigation. In response, the government described the incident as a “national tragedy,” and mourners gathered at the homes of the deceased officials and the party headquarters to pay their respects.

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