Six people died after a galamsey pit collapsed on them on Monday at Kyekyewere in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

Three others who sustained various degrees of injuries have been sent to the Konongo Odumasi Government Hospital for treatment.

The illegal miners were secretly prospecting for gold at a concession belonging to the Oweriman Mining Company, a local mining firm.

The illegal miners were trapped after the 8-metre deep pit they were mining in collapsed on them, police say.

"We suspect that they might have blasted the place [pit] hence the collapse", said DSP Richard Anaaba Salifu, Asante Akyem Central Municipal Police Command.

He said the bodies of the six deceased illegal all-male miners have been deposited at First Class Mortuary at Yakwei.

One of the illegal miners who survived the disaster, told Luv News, they did not use any supporting structures due to rush in performing the illegal activity.

Luv Fm’s Erastus Asare Donkor visited  the site said rescue efforts have been closed and police is securing the disaster area.

He said one of three admitted has been discharged while the other two are still in critical conditon.

Erastus says although police is warding off the public from the vicinity of the collapsed mine, other illegal miners seem unperturbed.

Illegal mining, popularly called galamsey is a local artisanal gold mining in Ghana.

The site of the recent disaster is not far from the spot where 17 illegal miners lost their life in a similar incident.