A miners' association said the victims were unarmed. The army said seven illegal miners were killed in a firefight.

According to the military, a group of around 60 miners allegedly armed with "pump-action guns and homemade weapons" forced their way into the AngloGold Ashanti site and exchanged fire with soldiers, leading to the deadly response.

Seven illegal miners were killed late on Saturday in a firefight with soldiers at an AngloGold Ashanti mine in Ghana, the West African country's armed forces said in a statement on Sunday.About 60 illegal miners carrying locally manufactured rifles and other weapons breached the mine's security fence at around 11:00 pm (2300 GMT) on Saturday and fired on a military patrol,

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has confirmed the death of seven persons and injury of another after some illegal miners intruded on the Anglo Gold Ashanti mines at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region Saturday night.

The Ghana Armed Forces said about 60 illegal miners had forced their way into the mine run by global giant AngloGold Ashanti and had fired upon the soldiers when they were intercepted. This prompted the soldiers "to retaliate in self-defence",