No survivors have been found in rescue chambers of a zinc mine in Burkina Faso, after eight miners got trapped hundreds of metres underground by flood waters last month.
The chambers are a place of safety and contain essential supplies like water and food, Reuters says.
"The rescue teams have opened the refuge chamber, unfortunately it is empty," Reuters quotes the government's information service as saying.
A search is ongoing, according to the same information service, and will continue until any person is found alive or dead.
The mine, which is owned by Canadian firm Trevali, has a depth of more than 710m (2329 ft).
It is located about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital, Ouagadougou.
Last week, the Canadian mine owners said search crews were working 24 hours a day to find the workers.
The case has caused outrage in Burkina Faso, as rescue operations only got under way following protests and a sit-in at a government building at a nearby town five days after the floods.
The area saw heavy thunderstorms on 16 April that cut off electricity and communications.
