At least 31 miners have died in a mudslide at an illegal gold mine in Burkina Faso, 500km (310 miles) from the capital, Ouagadougou.

Rescue teams are at the scene in Boussoukoula in the south-west, and miners are digging through the mud.

But officials said it was unlikely anyone would be found alive, due to flooding caused by heavy rain.

Correspondents say about 200,000 people work in unregulated gold mines in Burkina Faso, often in poor conditions.

In June, the government ordered all illegal mines to close until 30 September, during the rainy season, when badly-constructed tunnels can easily collapse.


Source: BBC