The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ghana (GCBC) has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Minister of Defense Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Environment Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others on August 6 in the Ashanti Region.
“Shocking news that we could not believe,” said Msgr. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani and GCBC President, upon learning of the incident while attending the Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Secretariat in Accra, according to Fides.
In a statement issued a few hours later, the Bishops extended their condolences to the President, Parliament, the families of the victims, and the nation. “We ask all Ghanaians to pray for them. It is a shock to lose such brilliant minds all at once,” the statement read.
The Bishops praised the deceased as “men of proven commitment, servants of the state, politicians, technocrats, and gallant officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, who gave their lives in the service of the Republic, the institutions, and the people of this country.” Their untimely passing, they added, is “not only a blow to their families and friends, but also a great loss for the nation.”
According to Fides, the Bishops reflected that moments like these are a reminder of “the fragile and transitory nature of human life and of the enduring value of service rooted in moral integrity, self-sacrifice, and the pursuit of the common good.”
The helicopter, a Chinese-made Z9, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Accra at around 9 a.m. local time, bound for Obuasi. It crashed in the Ashanti Region, and an investigation is underway into the cause.
President John Dramani Mahama has declared three days of national mourning.
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