School and Houses Buried in Helekpe After Devastating Mountain Mudslide Triggers Mass Evacuations
- A catastrophic mudslide carrying heavy boulders from the 600-meter Adaklu Mountain has completely devastated the foot-slope community of Adaklu-Helekpe in the Volta Region
- The disaster, triggered by a continuous, six-hour torrential downpour on Wednesday night, May 20, 2026, buried five residential buildings, a school block, and at least nine vehicles
- Local townsmen executed a heroic rescue operation, pulling out an unstable woman and her son who were trapped inside a collapsing structure before emergency services arrived
A tranquil night turned into a scene of absolute horror and panic in the Adaklu District after the iconic, free-standing Adaklu Mountain buckled under intense rainwater saturation, sending tons of earth crashing into human settlements below.
Source: UGC
The disaster has thrown the entire Volta Region into a state of severe shock, forcing municipal authorities to lock down the area to avert a larger humanitarian crisis.
The rainstorm, which began aggressively at 2:00 PM and pounded the community until 8:00 PM, weakened the soil structures on the upper ridges of the mountain. Around 7:00 PM, a massive explosion of mud and slurry rocks cascaded downwards, cutting a path of destruction straight into the local town council layout.
The impact zone at the Calvary International School premises was particularly devastating. The school buildings and compound were instantly submerged in thick mud, and a school bus alongside two other vehicles were mangled by the weight of the rolling stones.
As buildings began to crack under the pressure, an emergency alarm was raised when a mother and her young son became trapped inside one of the fast-filling residential properties. Demonstrating incredible bravery under the dark, rain-soaked conditions, local townsmen launched an immediate rescue effort, using shovels and bare hands to extract the victims. Both sustained severe fractures and deep lacerations and were rushed to the regional hospital where they are currently undergoing emergency treatment.
By Thursday morning, May 21, 2026, emergency units from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) had cordoned off the entire Helekpe enclave.
Source: YEN.com.gh
