Ghana's ministers of defence and environment have died in a military helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region, along with six other people, a government spokesperson says.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, were killed in the crash, which Chief of Staff Julius Debrah described as a "national tragedy".
Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces said the aircraft, which was carrying three crew and five passengers, had gone "off the radar".
It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the town of Obuasi for an event to tackle illegal mining.
Images purportedly showing the charred remains of the helicopter are circulating on social media.
