Thirty-seven civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded when gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
The attack is the deadliest in recent years as the military struggles to contain Islamist violence that has overrun parts of Burkina Faso, in west Africa. Semafo tightened security last year following armed incidents near two of its mines in the country.
The Est governor’s office later gave more details, saying “unidentified armed men laid an ambush for a convoy transporting Semafo workers,” giving a provisional civilian death toll of 37 with over 60 wounded.
That toll does not include an unknown number of the security forces who may have been killed in the attack. The toll was likely to rise as there are a large number of people still unaccounted for, according to a security source.