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

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.

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,