Burkina Faso trapped miners: Families have hope after three weeks

The families of two of eight miners trapped by flood waters in a zinc mine in Burkina Faso last month are hopeful the workers will be found alive.

“It’s been three weeks of sleepless nights for all of us,” a cousin of one of the trapped men told the BBC.

There has been no contact with them and a wife of another of the men said she was unhappy with the rescue efforts.

It is not known if those working more than 520m (1,706ft) below ground reached two available refuge chambers.

The Canadian owners of the mine – which is about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital, Ouagadougou – say search crews continue to work 24 hours a day.

Specialised equipment has been brought in from Ghana and South Africa to speed up the rescue efforts at the mine that has a depth of 710m.

#BBC