Ouagadougou, Feb. 21 (BNA) About 60 people were killed and dozens injured today, Monday, in an explosion at an unofficial gold mining site in southwestern Burkina Faso, state television reported, quoting local officials.
Antoine Doumba, the High Commissioner for Boni, told state television that the cause of the explosion in Boni province was not yet known.
Pictures showed a huge explosion of felled trees and destroyed tin houses. Reuters said the bodies were lying on the ground covered with mats.
It was not clear exactly what type of gold mining took place at the site. Burkina Faso is home to some major gold mines operated by international companies, but also hundreds of smaller informal sites that operate without oversight or regulation.
Children often work in the so-called artisanal mines; Accidents are common.
Burkina Faso, one of the world’s least developed countries, is under attack from Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State seeking to take over mining sites as a way to fund their violent attacks.
Monday’s explosion occurred hundreds of miles from where these groups usually operate and there was no indication that Islamist militants were involved.
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