LUSAKA, Zambia

Three illegal gold miners died and nine were rescued with injuries after a quarry collapsed Tuesday in Zambia's Central province.

Two of the miners died onsite and the other at a local hospital, Central province police commanding officer Charity Munganga told state television.

Munganga said a police rescue team remained on the ground to ensure that any other individuals or bodies possibly trapped are located and retrieved.

Zambia continues with efforts to curb illegal mining, especially for precious stones such as gold, with a surge in the discovery of new tenements seen around the mineral-rich southern African nation.

On Sunday, authorities dispersed more than 25,000 illegal miners from a gold-rich area in North-Western Province which has since been cordoned off by security personnel after riotous behavior by the miners resulted in two fatalities and several police officers being injured.