Mine Collapse in Ghana: 18 Confirmed Dead

Eighteen gold miners have been confirmed dead and another 30 are still trapped one day after an illegal mine collapsed in western Ghana, police said on Tuesday.

Attempts to rescue the 30 men still trapped in an abandoned mineshaft at Nsuapim, about 400km west of the capital, Accra, are being hampered by a lack of earth-moving equipment, they said.

Area police Commander Daniel Sampana said he has sought help from one of the big mining companies in the area, Bogoso Gold, which has offered excavators. Bogoso is a subsidiary of Canada's Golden Star Resources.

Illegal gold mining has been a source of concern for both the Ghanaian government and the big mining companies.