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The crash of a military helicopter in Ghana on Wednesday killed all eight people aboard including the West African country’s defense and environment ministers and other top officials, the government said.
The Ghanian military said the helicopter took off in the morning from the capital, Accra, and was heading northwest into the interior toward the gold-mining area of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it went off the radar. The wreckage was later found in the Adansi area of Ashanti.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and the military said an investigation was underway.
Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were killed alongside the vice-chair of the National Democratic Congress ruling party, a top national security adviser, and crew members.
Mourners gathered at the Boamah’s residence as well as at the party’s headquarters, and Ghana’s government described the crash as a “national tragedy.”
State media reported that the aircraft was a Z-9 helicopter that is often used for transport and medical evacuation.
An online video of the crash site shows debris on fire in a forest as some citizens circle around to help.
Wednesday’s crash was one of Ghana’s worst air disasters in more than a decade. In May 2014, a service helicopter crashed off the coast, killing at least three people. In 2012, a cargo plane overran the runway in Accra and crashed into a bus full of passengers, killing at least 10 people.
[8/7, 08:31] Ejiro Shalokpe: Shoprite to exit Ghana, Malawi
South African supermarket store Shoprite is selling its operations in Ghana and Malawi.
The move, announced by the retailer on Tuesday, is part of the chain’s efforts to focus on its home market. The planned sales follow the retailer’s exits from DR Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Uganda in the last few years.
The retrenchment follows years of expansion across the continent during which the grocery store became Africa’s top food retailer in around 15 countries. Shoprite changed course after encountering currency volatility, double-digit inflation, restrictive import regulations, and leases pegged to the US dollar – problems which were most pronounced in Angola and Nigeria.
Shoprite’s departure from other African markets contrasts with its expansion within South Africa. It has launched hundreds of new stores in its home market over the last year, scaled up its Sixty60 e-commerce delivery service, and diversified into pet supplies, health care, and outdoor gear.