A woman from Sherbooke and her Italian friend have reportedly been missing for three weeks in Burkina Faso, a country in northwestern Africa.
Edith Blais, 34, and her companion Luca Tacchetto, have not made contact with their families since December 15, when Blais posted photos from their trip on Facebook.
The post came two days after Blais made contact with her mother.
According to a Facebook page created by her sister, communication between the two travellers and their respective families were "very frequent" and stopped abruptly.
The pair were last seen travelling by car in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso.
According to their route, they would have had to commute to the capital of Ouagadougou before leaving for Togo, according to Blais' mother, Jocelyne Bergeron.
The travellers were expected to stay in Ouagadougou for four or five days, and possibly sell their car before moving on to Togo.
Blais and Tacchetto were expected by friends with Zion'Gaia - a permaculture initiative based in Togo - before Christmas, but they never crossed the border or applied for a Visa, according to a post on the Facebook page.
The Canadian government has been notified and Interpol will be launching an inquiry.
"Canadian consular officials in Burkina Faso are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement. "Consular assistance is being provided to the family in Canada."
On its travelers' site, the Canadian government recommends avoiding all non-essential travel to Burkina Faso because of the imminent terrorist threat. It also recommends avoiding travel near the Mali, Benin, and Togo borders because of terrorism and kiddnapping risks.
Blais and Tacchetto were reportedly on their way to Togo to take part in a reforestation project, but there is no indication they left Burkina Faso.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
