A pregnant woman and 5 people died when an ambulance carrying them struck a landmine in northern Burkina Faso, in an area that has suffered repeated militant attacks, the government said.
The attack occurred between the towns of Gaskindé and Namissiguia, on the border between Burkina Faso and Mali. All the passengers in the ambulance, a pregnant woman, her husband, a daughter, and two other women, died in the explosion, according to government reports.
At this time, no group has claimed responsibility for laying the landmine.
Attacks in Burkina Faso by fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic state have increased sharply in the past three years and have resulted in the displacement of more than 1 million people.
Last month, the government of Burkina Faso for the first time stated that it was open to discussions with Islamist militants to try to end the insurgency, a position echoed by authorities in neighboring Mali.
