At least 9 dead in Burkina Faso mine collapse: association

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -At least nine people were killed when an artisanal gold mine collapsed in Burkina Faso’s western Tuy province on Tuesday, the head of the artisanal mining association for the province said.

The mine caved in on Tuesday evening and rescue operations began around 8 p.m., Abass Dera told Reuters on Wednesday.

“Around 11 p.m. we found four bodies. Then we found five others this morning,” he said, adding that people were still stuck under the rumble.

Burkina Faso is home to major gold mines run by international companies but also hundreds of smaller, informal sites that operate without oversight or regulation.

Accidents are frequent at these so-called artisanal mines.

(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Alexander Winning)