Drilling company Foraco International (TSX: FAR) has reported that a terrorist attack at its camp in Toumour Village in Niger's remote southeast has left 8 people dead and five wounded.
The company said that at around 2 AM on Nov. 22, a group of terrorists attacked a small building where a Foraco team was sleeping and killed seven Foraco personnel and one civil servant. Five other employees were wounded, with two in serious condition.
Foraco has been working in the area drilling a pair of deep water wells for a refugee camp, by request of the Ministry of Water.
The facility where the workers were staying was chosen by Foraco based on recommendations made by the country's military, which has been providing security services for Foraco.
An unnamed source told Reuters the assailants are believed to belong to Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, which has been active in the area since 2009.
Following the attack, the company and local authorities evacuated injured personnel to a hospital, and set up support services for the families of the victims.
Based in Marseilles, France, Foraco is the world's third-largest mineral driller.
- A version of this story first appeared on MINING.com.