A 23-year-old man in the 18th Lane area of Tarkwa narrowly escaped death on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, when the concrete floor of a shop collapsed into a deep pit moments after he stepped outside.
This has brought fear and shock to residents in the area.
The victim, identified as Abeiku, said he had gone outside to brush his teeth when he noticed the ground beneath him suddenly giving way.
According to him, he began sinking into the earth and survived only after grabbing onto a nearby metal object.
The collapse occurred in a narrow passage between two shops — a small-scale mining kitchen where gold is processed and a dressmaking shop — leaving behind a deep and jagged hole that has renewed concerns about the dangers posed by mining activities taking place close to residential and commercial areas.
Residents suspect the collapse was caused by underground destruction linked to illegal and unregulated small-scale mining activities operating near the area.
For many in the community, the incident has reinforced growing fears about the impact of mining beneath homes, roads, and businesses across Tarkwa and surrounding communities in the Western Region.
When this reporter visited the scene, sacks filled with stones were being used to cover parts of the hole in what residents described as a hurried attempt to conceal the damage.
The incident is not isolated. Several small-scale mining operations continue to function along the same stretch at 18th Lane despite concerns over safety and underground instability.
In September 2025, a shop at the Tarkwa Women’s Market was shut down after the concrete floor at its entrance collapsed and created a massive hole.
Earlier in 2024, a section of a road commissioned by Gold Fields Ghana in 2019 also caved in due to suspected underground mining activities, before the damage was later covered up.
Residents say the dangers associated with illegal mining are increasingly affecting ordinary people who have no involvement in mining operations.
“Sometimes I feel like the whole of Tarkwa is hanging,” one resident previously remarked during an interview, reflecting growing anxiety within the mining community.
Researchers have also repeatedly warned about the risk of land subsidence within the Tarkwa–Prestea mining belt.
A 2023 study mapping subsidence vulnerability identified several high-risk zones where ground collapse remains likely, while experts at the University of Mines and Technology and the Ghana Geological Survey Authority have conducted seismic and geophysical assessments in the area.
Their findings have consistently pointed to the need for systematic mapping and stricter regulation of mining activities amid fears that future collapses could result in fatalities.
By: Nana Esi Brew Monney
