New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- A military helicopter crash in Ghana's Ashanti region has killed all eight people on board, including Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed. The Z9 aircraft vanished from radar just after 9:12 AM local time Wednesday during a flight from the capital Accra to Obuasi, a gold-mining town 200km northwest.

Rescue teams found the wreckage in the Adansi Akrofuom district, where graphic images showed charred remains amid the debris.

President John Mahama canceled all official activities and ordered flags flown at half-mast nationwide. Chief of Staff Julius Debrah called it a "national tragedy," expressing condolences to families of the victims who died "in service to the coun...