Burkinabe authorities are cautiously optimistic as the struggle to free eight miners trapped in a zinc mine enters its third week.
A government delegation arrived in Perkoa on Thursday to visit the Canadian-operated mine. Miners were stranded on April 18 when the mine’s underground part flooded owing to heavy rain. Bassolma Bazié, Minister of Public Services, discussed how the rescue mission was progressing.
“We need to get to that refuge room as soon as possible and inspect it. We also investigated the already-released refuge chamber, where no one was located; we can only hope that the conditions stated outside are found within, as we have witnessed.”
As rescuers tried to pump water out of the mine, families of the miners — six Burkinabe, one Zambian, and one Tanzanian — continued to press for accountability.
“At first, we detected a certain level of carelessness on the part of the mines-operator, so we had to speak up and call the authorities, who in turn contacted the mine business, and that was the game changer,” Antoine Bama, a spokeswoman for the victims’ families, explains.
The emergency committee moved to Perkoa, a hundred kilometers west of Ougadougou, on Wednesday. The rescue mission was supposed to complete on May 5, however equipment failures have caused the team’s objectives to be further delayed.
“Micheline Bazemo, a victim’s niece, says she is pleased since the government is exerting pressure on those in charge of the mines to expedite the job. This is what gives us hope, but we would not be here today if there had been this pressure from the start.”
As time passes, some relatives of miners believe that only a miracle will allow them to reconnect with their loved ones alive and well.
