At least 10 people lost their lives in the collapse of an artisanal gold mining site on Friday at Sideradougou in western Burkina Faso, a local source on Monday said.
“About 10 bodies have been found after the slide. Death toll can still rise since the exact number of persons underground in the mine is unknown”, an eye witness said.
According to government figures, about 1.2 million people are registered in the channel of artisanal gold mining that sees frequent deadly landslides.
The phenomenon of wild scramble for gold has grown in Burkina Faso as the country has experienced a mining boom in the last decade with 15 operational industrial mines, comprising 14 gold mines and one zinc mine.
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In September 2018, Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Christophe Dabire, welcomed more investors in the mining sector, in an opening speech at the West African Week of Mining Activities in the capital, Ouagadougou.
“The mining sector is the most dynamic sector that creates employment in our country,” Dabire said.
Gold production in Burkina Faso reached 51.63 tonnes in 2018, up from 46.39 tonnes in 2017, an 11.3 per cent increase.
The gold sub-sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 7.9 per cent in 2015 to 11.4 per cent and 10.6 per cent in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
This had exceeded the target of 10.2 per cent by 2020.
Xinhua/NAN
