Accra, Nov 1 (IANS): Ghanaian authorities have detained 43 Chinese nationals for allegedly being engaged in illegal gold mining, the Chinese embassy said.

The embassy said Thursday it was consulting with Ghanaian authorities concerned for proper handling of the issue, reports Xinhua.

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) said it had detained 43 suspected illegal miners from China. The detainees were arrested at Dunkwa-on-offin, 267 km northwest of Accra, where they had allegedly been engaged in illegal mining, said Francis Palmdeti, GIS public relations chief.

Two Indians and one American were also detained.

"The arrest was in line with the president's directive to clamp down on illegal miners in the country," Palmdeti added.

Ghana's immigration authorities have seized their passports for scrutiny to ascertain whether they are in the country lawfully, said Palmdeti.

"The options open to us are release, prosecution or repatriation, depending on the outcome of our investigations," he said.

In May, President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated an inter-ministerial task force to fight illegal small-scale mining. The unit was authorised to arrest and prosecute domestic illegal miners and deport foreign ones.

A total of 3,877 foreigners engaged in illegal mining in Ghana have been repatriated till July 2013.