A heavy rainstorm that hit the Ho enclave on Thursday evening, January 15, toppled the transmission mast of West 97.5 FM, a Ho-based radio station, causing damage to facilities of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and temporarily disrupting its communication services.
The fallen mast also damaged portions of the roof of the GRA building.
West 97.5 FM, located within the premises of the Ghana News Agency and operational for about a decade, has built a steady listener base, serving surrounding communities with news, education, and entertainment programmes.
Mr Samuel Kofi Adangbe, Office Manager at the Ho Tax Service Division of GRA, said the mast fell onto part of their building, resulting in disruptions.
He explained that the mast crashed into the GRA communication tower, disrupted communication lines, and perforated sections of the roofing sheets. Rainwater subsequently leaked into some offices, raising concerns about the siting of the transmission mast.
“We are worried about the location of the mast because assuming there were people around working, that would have been a major disaster,” he said.
Mr Adangbe disclosed that electricity lines would be disconnected to facilitate the removal of the fallen mast from the rooftop, adding that a team from the headquarters would visit to assess the situation.
Assistant Commissioner Theodore Kafui Ahiable, Sector Commander of the GRA Customs Division, confirmed the incident and the extent of damage.
He stated that no casualty was recorded and assured that the GRA signal room remained functional despite the disruption.
He added that preliminary assessments were ongoing to address the damage and restore affected services.
Attempts by the Ghana News Agency to reach managers of West 97.5 FM were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. Efforts are underway to dismantle the fallen mast from the GRA building rooftop.
