An operation to rescue some eight miners who have been trapped underground in Burkina Faso has suffered some setbacks.
The miners have been trapped underground for more than two weeks after torrential rains flooded some communities in the West African country.
The floods have also disrupted the operations of the zinc mine at Perkoa following last month’s incident.
Reports say six of the miners are from Burkina Faso and the other two are from Zambia and Tanzania.
When the mine flooded, the eight workers were deeper underground than their colleagues – more than 500m from the surface.
Electricity and communication links are reportedly cut off.
The government of Burkina Faso has launched a judicial enquiry and the mine managers are for now not allowed to leave the country.
Prime Minister Albert Ouedraogo visited over the weekend and blamed those in charge of the mine, saying dynamite had been used which had let the flood water in more easily.
The Canadian mining company, Trevali, says it is working 24 hours a day to locate the missing miners.
Trevali said it was aware of the prime minister’s comments and was also investigating the cause of the accident.
Source: Africafeeds.com
