Canadian gone ‘into the void’

Quebec woman, 34, friend vanish in Burkina Faso

MONTREAL — The Canadian government and Interpol are searching for a Quebec woman and her Italian friend who have gone missing in the West African country of Burkina Faso.

Edith Blais’ sister says the 34-year-old Sherbrooke resident and her Italian friend Luca Tacchetto, 30, were travelling in the West African nation when they abruptly stopped communicating with their families on Dec. 11, the day they posted photos on Facebook. Friends have created a page for news updates.

“There was no more communication with anyone, no more financial transactions either from her account since Dec. 11,” Mélanie Bergeron Blais said in a phone interview.

“She didn’t spend to eat, for a hotel, there’s nothing at all,” she said. “They’ve completely disappeared into the void.”

Bergeron Blais says the pair were last seen in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, in the country’s southwest, and planned to eventually make their way to Togo. But there is no indication they applied for visas or crossed the border.

She says there has been no financial activity in her sister’s bank account and it’s unusual for her to be out of touch with her family for more than a few days.

Bergeron Blais described her sister as an adventurous and experienced traveller.

“At first we gave her a little slack, telling ourselves ‘she’s a traveller, she’s a bit bohemian,’ and it’s possible that she just didn’t give us news for a few days,” Bergeron Blais said.

“But by (Dec) 29th or 30th, we knew something wasn’t right.”

Global Affairs Canada says consular officials are reaching out to local authorities in Burkina Faso to follow up on reports of a missing Canadian.

Burkina Faso is known to be a dangerous place for foreigners. The Canadian government warns people to avoid all non-essential travel to that country, especially near the border with Mali, Benin and Togo because of terrorism and kidnapping threats.

Posting on Blais’ Facebook page, an Italian man wrote he’d been in touch with a tourist guide who is trying to track the couple. The man, who says he’s a friend of Tacchetto, is in contact with Blais’ mother.