OUAGADOUGOU, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — No survivors have been found in rescue chambers of a zinc mine in Burkina Faso, after eight miners got trapped hundreds of metres underground by flood waters last month.
The chambers are a place of safety and contain essential supplies like water and food.
“The rescue teams have opened the refuge chamber, unfortunately it is empty,” the government’s information service said.
A search is ongoing, according to the same information service, and will continue until any person is found alive or dead.
The mine, which is owned by Canadian firm Trevali, has a depth of more than 710m.
It is located about 100km west of the capital, Ouagadougou.
Last week, the Canadian mine owners said search crews were working 24 hours a day to find the workers.
The case has caused outrage in Burkina Faso, as rescue operations only got under way following protests and a sit-in at a government building at a nearby town five days after the floods.
The area saw heavy thunderstorms on April 16 that cut off electricity and communications. — NNN-AGENCIES
