I tried to find out more about what happened to the 8 miners trapped in a mine in Burkina Faso, which is owned by Trevali, a Canadian mining company.
On 16th April flash floods (which were unexpected and occured during the country's dry season) at the mine caused a collapse and the hundreds of workers evacuated. However 8 were trapped underground.
It is not uncommon for such foreign-owned mining companies to violate environmental and human rights regulations.
A month-long search and rescue operation ensued. By mid-may 4 out of the 8 were found dead. The rescuers hoped that the rest of the workers were able to reach a rescue chamber stocked with food and water. However in May the chamber was opened and found to be empty. Burkinabe authorities and Trevali declared all 8 to be dead.
6 of the 8 miners' families filed cases against 'persons unknown' for endangering human life. Burkinabe authorities stopped Trevali officials from leaving in order to continue with investigations.
Canada’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Benin, Lee-Anne Hermann, took to Twitter in the aftermath of the tragedy to lament the damage caused not to the lives of the Burkinabè miners, but to the future prospects of Canadian mining companies. “On a most difficult day for [Canadian] mining companies,” she tweeted on May 19, two days after Trevali reported the deaths of the trapped miners, “it was a pleasure to meet with [Canadian company Fortuna Silver] to learn more about their Roxgold mine operations in [Burkina Faso] and [their] commitment to Responsible Business Conduct.” It is indicative of where Canadian foreign policy interests lie that instead of meeting with the families of the deceased miners, Hermann chose to meet with the CEO of Canadian mining company and promote their investments in the country.