Following a flood at the mine in April that claimed the lives of eight workers, Canadian mining company Trevali will shut down its Perkoa zinc mine in Burkina Faso, a company spokesman told Reuters on Friday.
During the dry season in the West African nation, unexpected torrential rain caused the miners to drown in the mine’s underground passages in Sanguie province.
Ever since, the mine—one of Trevali’s 3 main operating assets—has been shut down.
“The funds still available…are insufficient to complete the rehabilitation of the mine,” said Ditil Moussa Palenfo, country director of Nantou Mining, the Trevali entity that owns Perkoa.
“Funds are barely sufficient to cover severance pay for terminated employees.”
Two executives were given suspended sentences by a Burkina Faso court last week after it found them guilty of the flood disaster’s involuntary manslaughter.
