The Vancouver-based miner issued a statement Thursday thanking local communities and Perkoa employees who attended a Burkina Faso court to hear the verdicts Wednesday. Perkoa mine manager Hein Frey, who is South African and worked for Trevali, was given a 24-month suspended sentence. Darryl Christensen, who is South African and manager of Trevally’s sponsor Birnecutt, was given a 12-month suspended sentence. About 32 million liters of water were pumped from the mine 710 meters deep in a futile attempt to reach the missing workers. (Burkina Faso Government Information Service) Workers were trapped more than 500 meters below the surface of the mine on April 16, 2022, after heavy rain caused flash flooding, which breached two dikes outside the mine. Eight people failed to reach an underground shelter and died. Pumping equipment had to be imported from other countries, including Ghana and South Africa, raising questions about how prepared the company was for a disaster. Trevali declined to be interviewed by CBC News, but Jason Mercier, its director of investor relations, sent a statement saying the company was working closely with local authorities to investigate the cause of the flooding. “Since the flood, Trevali has done everything possible to prepare for a possible restart of operations, including keeping people employed to support our employees, their families and local communities.” Trevali says it has worked closely with local authorities to investigate the cause of the flood and is working to get approvals to restart the mine.
