It is unclear what charges the Trevali employees stand trial for.
The Northern Miner reached out to Trevali for comment but had not received a response by press time.
On April 16, heavy rains outside the usual rainy season poured about 125 mm of rain in less than an hour, triggering flash floods that breached the open pit at Perkoa, located about 120 km west of the capital of Ouagadougou.
The company states on its website that it is working closely with Burkinabe authorities to investigate the cause of the flooding.
Mining and milling operations at Perkoa remain suspended for the foreseeable future, and the company has suspended its production and cost guidance for 2022 for the operation.
In a statement on social media on May 17, the Burkina Faso government confirmed that the rescue teams had found the refugee chamber empty. The eight miners had failed to reach the mine’s refuge chamber more than 500 metres below the surface.
