OUAGADOUGOU: Ten passengers riding a bus died when their vehicle struck a mine in eastern Burkina Faso, the regional governor said on Monday.
The mini-bus hit a mine on the road near the village of Bougui on Sunday afternoon, and the explosion killed ten passengers, Colonel Hubert Yameogo said in a statement.
He added that five people sustained injuries who were taken to a hospital in Fada N’Gourma, the main town of the region, while the death toll could rise as other passengers are believed to be missing.
IED blast caused deaths
A security official told AFP an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion caused the deaths of “around ten civilians,” a toll corroborated by local authorities in Fada N’Gourma.
“The victims are mainly children and women,” said a town resident whose cousin died in the explosion.
According to a security source, the incident comes after an explosive device killed two soldiers on the road in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday.
The West African state has since 2015 been grappling with an insurgency led by jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced about two million people.
Attacks targeting civilians and security forces have increased in recent months, especially in eastern and northern regions bordering Niger and Mali, which are also battling the jihadist groups.
The head of the ruling military junta of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has prioritized recapturing jihadist-held territory.
Anger at the failure of the government to stem the jihadist attacks played a key role in two military coups in Burkina Faso this year. – AFP/APP
