A Ghanaian small-scale miners' association on Sunday said soldiers killed nine unarmed people at an AngloGold Ashanti mine on Saturday night, while the army said seven illegal miners had been killed in a firefight.

Seven illegal miners were killed and one seriously injured during a gun battle with the troops in western Ghana, the military said.

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,

At least seven people have been killed in a clash with soldiers on duty at a mine in the central Ashanti region, according to the army. 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.

At least eight illegal miners were killed in Ghana overnight after clashes with soldiers guarding the AngloGold Ashanti mining site in central Obuasi, the army said Sunday.

Seven illegal miners died after they breached a gold mine's security fence carrying rifles and other weapons and engaged in a shootout with the country's military in the Ashanti region.