Manila - Three men were killed when they were struck by falling rocks while panning for gold in a southern Philippine province, police said Thursday.

The accident happened on Wednesday on a creek in Compostela town, Compostela Valley province, 930 kilometres south of Manila, said police Senior Superintendent Ronald Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa, the provincial police director, said the bodies of the victims were recovered Thursday.

He said the three were trying to divert the flow of water to wash out portions of soil and make the gold more accessible. "But they were hit by falling rocks caused by soil erosion from the top of the creek."

Compostela Valley is home to several gold-rush sites where hundreds of small-scale miners have set up makeshift operations that have become prone to various accidents. (dpa)