ACCRA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ghana has declared a three-day national mourning, beginning on Thursday, following a helicopter crash that killed the country's defense and environment ministers and six others.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has suspended all his scheduled activities and programs for the rest of the week, following the national tragedy, according to a statement from the presidency late Wednesday.
The government has directed that all flags must fly at half-mast until further notice, the statement said.
A military helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning, killing all eight occupants, including Minister of Defense Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
In a related development, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, expressed his condolences to the president, the government and people of Ghana, and the bereaved families of all those who lost their lives in the crash.
"He also expresses his solidarity with the Ghana Armed Forces and the ruling National Democratic Congress during this difficult time," an AU statement quoted Youssouf as saying. ■
