The police were looking out for illegal gold mining activities in several locations at the Bong Mieu gold mine in the cenral province’s Phu Ninh District on April 3 when they found nearly 100 illegal miners, they said Friday.

While most of the miners fled the scene, the police detained several for further questioning to find out the persons directing such illegal operations. They seized 500 liters of diesel, 2,600 meters of water pipes as well as several machineries and equipment for gold mining.

The Bong Mieu gold mine, Vietnam's largest, is located over a kilometer south of Tam Lanh Commune. It is estimated to have around 12,000 kg of gold. In 2005, the Bong Mieu Gold Mining Co., Ltd. (BMGMC) was licensed to exploit the mine until 2016. Later, Quang Nam authorities requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment to close down the mine, but the ministry only approved the decision recently.

The unit responsible for the mine's closure would be decided by Quang Nam authorities, the ministry said.

However, in the last couple years, people have been flocking to the poorly protected mine, hoping to strike gold. These activities have severely polluted and destroyed the local environment.