The Ghanaian government has requested AngloGold Ashanti to cover the medical expenses of the injured and the burial costs of the deceased. Credit: Piotr Swat via Shutterstock.

An incident at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine in Ghana’s Ashanti Region has reportedly resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, according to the Ghanaian army.

The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, however, claims nine unarmed people were killed, reported Reuters.

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The incident occurred last Saturday, during a confrontation between army soldiers and alleged illegal miners.

Kofi Adams, local chair of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, reported that nine people were killed and 14 severely injured, emphasising that the individuals were unarmed.

Conversely, the Ghanaian armed forces stated that around 60 illegal miners, armed with locally manufactured rifles, breached the mine’s security, leading to a firefight.

“This is unprecedented (and) it’s difficult to understand why this happened,” said Adams, highlighting that previous trespassers were typically deterred by warning shots.

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In response to the incident, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an immediate investigation, describing the event as “tragic,” the report said.

The Ghanaian government has requested that AngloGold Ashanti cover the medical expenses of the injured and the burial costs of the deceased.

AngloGold Ashanti, listed in Johannesburg, South Africa, owns the Obuasi and Iduapriem mines, which produced over 490,000oz of gold last year. The company has not yet commented on the incident.

This incident comes after 36 corpses were recovered, and 82 survivors were rescued from a gold mine in South Africa recently during a two-day operation.

Those rescued face charges related to illegal mining and immigration violations.