Search operations initiated in mid-April are continuing. Hopes of finding them alive are almost nil.
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“Unfortunately, after 39 days of intense search, the lifeless bodies of four miners have been found”the Burkinabe government reported on Wednesday (May 25th) in a statement. “Search operations are continuing in order to find the four other minors”said the government spokesman..
The eight miners – six Burkinabés, a Zambian and a Tanzanian – found themselves trapped 700m underground in the Perkoa zinc mine in mid-April. Torrential rains had flooded the underground galleries of this mine located about a hundred kilometers west of Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.
A survival room found empty
Since their disappearance, no contact has been established with them. The rescuers still hoped that they had been able to take shelter in a “refuge room” located at a depth of 580 m, where survival kits with water, food and medicine are usually stored. But they had discovered this empty chamber in mid-May, burying the hope of finding the miners alive.
These disappearances caused a great stir in Burkina Faso. A surge of solidarity has been put in place to help their loved ones. Lhe families of six minors have filed a “complaint against X” for “attempted manslaughter”, “endangering the lives of others” and “non-assistance to a person in danger”. The government has opened an investigation to establish “all responsibilities”.