Nine gold diggers have been killed in a gunfight between rival gangs at a remote site in French Guiana, say police in the territory.

The BBC said that the clash happened early on Saturday in the Dorlin area, which is well-known for illegal gold mining.

The killings coincided with a visit by President Nicolas Sarkozy to French Guiana, which is an overseas department of France.

He promised to step up the fight against illegal pork knockers.

In addition to the nine people killed, two others were injured in the violence, say police in the capital, Cayenne.

The BBC said that the clashes occurred between two groups fighting for control of the area.

“This is a gang which possesses assault rifles, weapons of war,” a police commander, Colonel Didier Laumont, told the AFP news agency.

Sarkozy, the BBC said, was informed of the shoot-out during a visit to a police station where he was shown a presentation on illegal gold extraction. Sarkozy, according to AFP, promised that the fight against the illegal industry, which also causes serious ecological damage including mercury-polluted waters, would intensify with the “creation of a specific crime,” and tougher penalties.