200 illegal miners trapped in abandoned shaft in South Africa

Four of a group of at least 30 illegal South African miners trapped in an abandoned gold shaft near Johannesburg were brought to the surface by rescuers on Sunday and others were expected to follow, an emergency services spokesman said.

"So far there are four that have been removed up," ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak told Reuters. He added they were being medically checked and then handed over to the police.

Earlier on Sunday, Vermaak told Reuters rescuers were communicating with the miners trapped below the surface by fallen boulders at the old mine site in Benoni.

"They told us there are about 200 others trapped further below," Vermaak said.

"It's an abandoned mine shaft in the middle of the public veld [open fields] ... it was not a blocked-off area," he said, adding that no injuries or casualties had been reported so far.

Emergency rescue workers attempt to free trapped illegal miners at a disused gold mine shaft near, Benoni, South Africa on Feb. 16, 2014. (The Associated Press)

Heavy equipment was brought in to try to remove the boulders, and a Reuters reporter saw ropes and a hoist being lowered into the shaft. There was a heavy police presence.

A spokesman for the Chinese-owned bullion producer Gold One, which has prospecting rights to the mine but is not currently working it, said drinking water had been lowered to the miners and it was hoped they would be freed by the end of the day.

Illegal mining of abandoned shafts is common in South Africa, where informal miners excavate ore to sell, often living underground in dangerous and precarious conditions. Fatal accidents are common, and underground battles between rival groups have also been reported.

ER24's Vermaak said a police patrol had been alerted by shouts from the miners trapped in the shaft.

The Gold One spokesman, Grant Stuart, said the miners were trapped in the "New Kleinfontein 6" ventilation shaft, which had been closed off with concrete slabs.

"The illegal miners have dug a tunnel right next to it to access the shaft and it has collapsed behind them," he said, adding that heavy rain may have triggered the collapse.

Gold One delisted last month from the Johannesburg and Australian bourses after all of its share capital was acquired by BCX Gold Investment Holdings, a Chinese consortium.