Rescue workers in Burkina Faso find no survivors in flooded mine's shelter room

By Fatma Esma Arslan

DAKAR, Senegal (AA) - Rescue workers in Burkina Faso found no survivors in a flooded zinc mine's rescue chamber after eight miners became stranded 32 days ago due to heavy rains, the government said Tuesday.

The miners were not found in the room. Rescue teams had taken a long time to reach the room due to the technical challenges created by the flooding.

Efforts to rescue the missing miners in the Perkoa zinc mine, operated by Canadian company Nantou Mining, continue at the depth where the mine’s shelter room is located, the government's office in Burkina Faso said in a statement

Due to heavy rains in the region, the eight miners -- including six Burkina Faso nationals, one Tanzanian and a Zambian citizen -- were stranded when the mine collapsed on April 16.

Since the floodwaters also damaged the electrical and communication systems in the mine, contact with the miners could not be established.