Terrorist Strike On WTC: Four Ghanaians Officially Dead, But

....Figure Believed to Be Higher

Despite reports of several scores of Ghanaian casualties in the September 11 terrorist bombing of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in the USA only four have been identified so far as missing or presumed dead, Chronicle can reveal.


Mr. Japhet Jesse Ayi, Sophia Addo, Victor Kwakye and Nana Mintah are the only names of Ghanaians on the official list of the missing, even though compelling evidence exist that the number could be higher, sources within the large Ghanaian community here say.


This represents just a fraction of the figure given.


These names are with the Ghana Mission in New York and are currently the only names of Ghanaians on the official list of the missing compiled at the Family Center.


The family center is the official destination for relatives of victims of the Sept 11 attacks to register the names of their missing relatives.


Efforts by the Ghana Mission to compile an official list of the missing is being hampered by the uncooperative nature of relatives of the missing as well as members of the Ghanaian Community in volunteering information, Chronicle learnt.

But there is unanimity though among those interviewed by Chronicle that the four worked in the WTC buildings and had reported for work on the day of the attack.


All have not come home since.


For example that September 11 was Japhet's first day at work.


Three of the deceased, apart from Japhet, live in Bronx, one of the five boroughs that make up New York State. Japhet, Chronicle learnt, lives in Nayac county, which is in upstate New York.


The Executive Secretary-General of the National Council of Ghanaian Associations in New York, Mr. Thomas Mensah, has failed over the weeks to respond to Chronicle enquiries.


Several messages left on his answering machine have not received any response