Between April 1988 and June 1989, four major ground subsidences in the form of sinkholes occurred for the first time in Kuwait causing destruction of properties and threatening human lives, and a preliminary investigation followed immediately. A comprehensive study involving geotechnical, geological and geophysical investigations is presently in progress to identify the causes and extent of the phenomenon in the area and to recommend remedial and preventive measures against their reoccurrence. While the drilling work is still continuing and laboratory test data pouring in, the geotechnical/geological investigation, to date, indicates that the sub-soil condition consists of 35–40 m thick fine to medium sand with the upper horizon being randomly calcareous and cemented, while the lower part is consistently cemented with the degree of cementation generally increasing with depth. Underlying the sandy overburden is the variably weathered limestone and dolomite formation with the top 15–20 m being moderately Karstified in the form of inter-connected tunnels network. The Microgravity technique employed for the geophysical investigation reveals that the distribution of the Karst cavities generally align with the local structural fault systems with which also the sinkhole axis is aligned. A conceptual model is put forward which stresses the role of recharge water from the surface as the triggering factor for the development of sinkholes in this arid terrain.