Six people died after sneaking into a goldmine in the northern Bam province of Burkina Faso, police said Thursday, leading to angry scenes in which the mine was vandalised and vehicles were torched.

Police said in a statement that the artisanal miners "had smuggled themselves into the old chambers of the Bissa Goldmine on Wednesday.

A subsequent search by security workers at the site discovered "six lifeless bodies, probably dead from lack of air due to the depth of the holes," the statement added.

Seven other informal miners were found injured.

One of those later died, bringing the total toll to seven, local residents told AFP.

In November 2019, at least 38 people were killed and 63 were injured in an attack on a convoy transporting workers at a Canadian-run goldmine in the eastern town of Boungo.