Europeans killed in Burkina Faso attack repatriated

The bodies of two Spanish journalists and an Irish wildlife activist who were killed during an anti-poaching patrol in Burkina Faso have been repatriated aboard a military plane.

Journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile were accompanying Rory Young, head of the Chengeta Wildlife group, in the Arly National Park on Monday when they were attacked.

The three Europeans were initially reported missing and the subjects of a major search, but the Burkina authorities said Tuesday they had been “executed by terrorists.

An Airbus 310 jet belonging to the Spanish air force touched down shortly after midnight Friday in the capital Ouagadougou then took off again two hours later with the three bodies on board, according to AFP journalists.

They arrived at the airport in large wooden coffins each bearing the name of the victims and were taken directly onto the tarmac before being placed in the plane under the supervision of Spain’s consul to Burkina Faso.

Meanwhile, Spain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya has demanded that the Burkina Faso authorities investigate the events, and identify those responsible so they can be brought to justice.

Addressing a press conference, Gonzalez Laya added that terrible events like this should not be forgotten or go unpunished. The minister said Spain and Burkina Faso agreed to continue the investigation.

Despite an insurgency claiming the attack, the circumstances of their deaths are unknown.