The pumping operations carried out by the Canadian company Trevali have still not made it possible to reach the eight miners trapped by the floods two weeks ago in the zinc mine of Perkoa (center-west). This Sunday afternoon, the families of the miners received a visit from Prime Minister Albert Ouédraogo.
The families of the miners have expressed their concern to the Prime Minister. They have not heard from their relatives since the mine was flooded.
” We are worried, we have no sign of life. Before the flood, he was communicating with the radio system, but just after the flood, this radio system was cut off and we could no longer communicate with the people under the mine, says their spokesperson Antoine Bama, whose little brother is still stuck more than 700 meters deep. Today, we are still pumping water to gain access to the second rescue chamber. They say it is likely that people are there. »
The first rescue chamber was empty. In order to reach the second underground chamber, Albert Ouédraogo promised that everything would be done to ensure that the pumping operations were completed before Wednesday evening.
The families, who considered the rescue too slow, filed a complaint Thursday against X, for manslaughter, endangering the lives of others and failure to assist a person in danger. They are waiting for psychological help to be put in place, and for the miners’ wages to be paid to them.