A violent rainstorm that swept through parts of Ho on Thursday evening, January 15, caused the collapse of a transmission mast belonging to West 97.5 FM, leading to damage at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and a temporary disruption of official communications.
The fallen mast landed on sections of the GRA premises, damaging parts of the building’s roof and interfering with communication infrastructure. The incident affected operations at the Ho Tax Service Division, raising safety and operational concerns.
West 97.5 FM, which operates from the Ghana News Agency enclave in Ho, has been on air for nearly ten years, providing news, educational content and entertainment to communities within and beyond the municipality.
Confirming the incident, the Office Manager of the Ho Tax Service Division, Samuel Kofi Adangbe, said the mast crashed onto the GRA building and struck the Authority’s communication tower, cutting off lines and puncturing roofing sheets. He explained that rainwater later seeped into some offices, worsening the impact of the damage.
Mr Adangbe expressed concern about the location of the transmission mast, noting that the situation could have resulted in serious casualties if staff had been working nearby at the time of the collapse.
He disclosed that arrangements were being made to disconnect electricity lines to allow for the safe removal of the fallen structure, adding that a technical team from the GRA headquarters would visit the site to assess the damage and recommend remedial measures.
The Sector Commander of the GRA Customs Division, Assistant Commissioner Theodore Kafui Ahiable, also confirmed the incident, stating that although the damage was significant, no injuries were recorded. He assured that the signal room remained operational and that steps were being taken to stabilise affected services.
He said preliminary assessments were ongoing as part of efforts to repair the damage and restore full functionality. Meanwhile, attempts by the Ghana News Agency to reach the management of West 97.5 FM for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
Work is currently underway to dismantle and remove the collapsed mast from the rooftop to prevent further damage and restore normal operations at the affected facilities.
