ACCRA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The remains of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived here late Monday from Switzerland where he passed away last month.

The special flight bearing his body landed at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in the company of his wife Nane Maria Annan, children and staff from the UN.

The casket holding the remains of the late Nobel peace laureate was received by a contingent of the Ghana Armed Forces who quickly replaced the UN flag in which the coffin was draped with Ghana's national flag.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo received the widow and her children, while religious leaders performed a brief ceremony with prayers while the military band played solemn tunes in the background.

The body was then moved to the Accra International Conference Center where it will lie in state for three days with an elaborate funeral arrangement by the government and people of Ghana.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, minister-designate for information, announced earlier on Monday that at least 20 heads of state were expected to participate in the official funeral ceremony on Thursday, including Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa.