At least five houses and nine vehicles were buried in a mudslide carrying heavy rocks from the 600-metre Adaklu Mountain at Adaklu-Helekpe in the Volta Region in the evening of Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

The incident occurred shortly after 6:00 p.m. during a downpour. Two people, a man and a woman, were trapped in the debris but were rescued by residents before Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) personnel arrived at the scene.

About 50 goats and other livestock are reported to have perished, and displaced residents have since been staying with relatives and neighbours.

The Volta Regional Commander of the GNFS, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Joseph Tetteh Freeman, confirmed that no lives were lost. However, he ordered residents living near the affected area to evacuate immediately and stay away from the scene for at least one week to allow geotechnical engineers to assess the situation.

Freeman said the mud covered several acres of land and advised community members against going to their farms in the interim. He also commended local residents for acting swiftly to rescue the two survivors.

“We will continue to visit Adaklu-Helekpe until we are sure the place is safe,” he said.

A team from the National Disaster Management Organisation was also at the scene at the time of the report.

This is not the first time the community has been affected by the mountain. In 2017, rocks on the Adaklu Mountain exploded and sent debris cascading into the community, forcing residents to flee.