Two stores at the Tarkwa Women's Market in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region caved in on Monday, September 15, 2025, following a blast from an abandoned mine shaft belt.

The incident has been linked to illegal mining activities along the stretch of the old shaft that cuts across the municipality, according to a report by www.ghanaiantimes.com.

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"Traders and residents have expressed concern that the continuous operations of illegal miners along the Tarkwa belt pose a threat to lives, critical overhead power installations, and national security," the report noted.

"This is not the first time such a cave-in has happened in Tarkwa and its environs," a journalist, Esi Brew, recalled.

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She noted that similar but more minor incidents were often unreported but were quietly covered up.

She added that last year, portions of the Nana Angu Road, commissioned in 2019, caved in and disrupted traffic.

Meanwhile, the Acting Western Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Sophia Ama Otabil, confirmed the incident, highlighting environmental implications for the municipality.

She explained that a preliminary EPA assessment showed the damages were caused by unlicensed miners who exceeded blasting thresholds, mostly at night.

JKB/VPO

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