Trevali Mining has halted operations at its Perkoa mine in Burkina Faso after the mine was flooded in some areas due to heavy rainfall.
The mine, 90%-owned by Trevali, has been evacuated, with both mining and milling operations stopped currently.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Eight miners are missing underground following the incident, and rescue operations are ongoing.
Currently, the Vancouver, Canada-based firm is working alongside the authorities to respond to the incident.
Trevali president and CEO Ricus Grimbeek said: “We are deeply saddened by this unexpected event. Our immediate focus is on search and rescue.
We will provide further updates as the situation unfolds and we determine the cause of the flooding event.”
Earlier in August 2018, a worker death was reported in the Perkoa mine due to an accident.
Located in the Sanguie Province, around 120 kilometres west of the capital city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Perkoa Mine has been operational since 2013.
“The Perkoa deposit represents the only significant zinc-silver massive sulphide mineralisation discovered in the Birimian to date and it is also the first zinc-silver massive sulphide mineralisation discovered in this region,” the miner’s website said.
Production of zinc and lead concentrate at its three operational assets constitutes majority of Trevali’s revenue.
These assets include the Perkoa Mine, the 90%-owned Rosh Pinah Mine in Namibia, and northern New Brunswick, Canada’s Caribou Mine that is fully owned by the firm.
Trevali also has ownership of the Halfmile and Stratmat Properties and the Restigouche Deposit in New Brunswick, along with an option to pick a 100% stake in the Heath Steele deposit in New Brunswick. Furthermore, it has an effective 44% stake in Namibia’s Gergarub Project.
