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Eight Miners Trapped At Canadian Mine In West Africa For Three Weeks, Rescue Operation Underway
Writer: Mrinalini Kaushik
She is a student of journalism, keen on learning new ways to unlearn, deconstructing news and life. Interested in exploring new media as medium is the message. Avid follower of sports and politics
Others/World, 9 May 2022 1:16 PM GMT | Updated 9 May 2022 1:24 PM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
The mineworkers' families have filed cases for endangering lives, attempted manslaughter, and failing to rescue the miners. Their hopes have fallen day after day as search and rescue missions come empty every time.
Eight mineworkers have been trapped under a Vancouver-based mine since April 16 due to flooding. The zinc mine in Perkoa is a hundred kilometres away from the capital city Ouagadougou.
Rescue efforts were immediately launched on April 21; however, the heavy rains have made it difficult to pump out water from underneath the mine, reported Al Jazeera.
Rescue Operation
The Canadian Trevali Mining Corporation listed that of the eight miners missing, six were locals from Burkina, one Zambian, and one was Tanzanian.
A worker told AFP that the rescue mission had started with the help of a fire brigade and military engineers. The miners are expected to be 700 meters below ground, and now four more mining corporations have joined the rescue effort, reported Africa News.
Relative of the miner, Andre Bamouni was quoted by AFP, claiming that they have yet to receive any news on whether the trapped miners are still alive. Their hopes have fallen day after day as search and rescue missions come up empty every time. The families have also filed cases against 'person unknown' for endangering lives, attempted manslaughter, and failing to rescue the miners, reported the publication mentioned above.
According to a union representative of Perkoa, the shelter inside the mine will have oxygen for approximately a fortnight, yet there will be a lack of food resources.
Enraged At The 'Irresponsibility'
Burkina Faso Prime Minister Albert Ouedraogo visited the site where the incident occurred, and he blamed the corporation for being 'irresponsible'. He further claimed that dynamite had been used in the open air the day before the incident. The underground mine roof must have weakened, resulting in the flooding, reported Reuters.
Taking action against the irresponsibility, PMO's office has banned the managers of the mine from leaving the country while the investigation is still ongoing, reported the publication mentioned above.
As a response, Trevali Corp. has remained conspicuously innocent and silent, claiming that it will focus on its inquiry into the mishap and is currently working on rescuing the miners.
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