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Trapped South African miners arrested after escape | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Ten illegal gold miners have emerged, dusty and thirsty, from an old South African mine in which more are feared trapped. | |
Some of the men came out when it seemed the threat of arrest had abated - but all 10 have now been detained, the BBC's Nomsa Maseko tweeted. | |
The police were hidden behind a fire engine, she said. | |
The miners are reported to have been trapped by a group of rival illegal miners. | |
The landscape around the abandoned mine near Johannesburg is dotted with similar abandoned shafts - attracting men from around the region with the promise of remaining gold deposits. | |
Some men may also be resisting coming to the surface of the mine because they fear losing any gold they have found, say correspondents. | |
Previous reports suggested as many as 200 fellow miners remained underground, but our correspondent says the latest estimates put the figure far lower. | |
It is not clear when this operation will end, as it is not known exactly how many remain underground. | |
Police tactic | |
The official rescue operation was suspended on Sunday after 11 miners agreed to come out. All 11 have now been charged. | |
Other trapped miners refused to leave after discovering they faced arrest. | |
Earlier on Monday, a man was seen shouting down the shaft: "It is safe to come out, the police are not here," our correspondent tweeted from the scene. | |
Rescue personnel were seen negotiating with the men and those emerging were not immediately arrested. | |
But in a later tweet, our correspondent said a police van had been hidden at the scene and she later confirmed all 10 men who resurfaced on Monday had in fact been arrested. | |
It appears police "'allowed' one miner to walk away - as a tactic to convince others to come out," our correspondent tweeted. | |
The men are believed to have become trapped because a rival group of miners stole some of their gold haul and then blocked the shaft with rocks to prevent a pursuit. | |
The miners are believed to have been trapped since Saturday morning in an open field near the town of Benoni. | |
The men used an old ventilation shaft to access the mine - one of many such holes in the area. | |
Police heard cries for help when they were patrolling the area on Sunday morning. | Police heard cries for help when they were patrolling the area on Sunday morning. |
It is not just the threat of arrest deterring the men from coming to the surface, our correspondent says. | |
The men do not want to relinquish the gold they have found. They are leaving gold underground because they know they will face a harsher jail term if found in possession of illegally mined gold. | |
Mining is a vital part of the South African economy and the country is the fourth-biggest gold exporter. | Mining is a vital part of the South African economy and the country is the fourth-biggest gold exporter. |
According to South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources, a 2008 study of the gold sector found that an estimated $509m (£309m) in revenue was lost a year as a result of illegal mining. | According to South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources, a 2008 study of the gold sector found that an estimated $509m (£309m) in revenue was lost a year as a result of illegal mining. |
South Africa has some of the world's deepest gold mines and safety is a major issue. | South Africa has some of the world's deepest gold mines and safety is a major issue. |