Trapped S/African miners arrested after escape

Ten illegal gold miners have emerged from an old South African mine, with more still underground.

Some of the men came out after being told there were no police around - but all 10 have now been arrested by police who had been hiding, the BBCs Nomsa Maseko tweeted.

The miners are reported to have been trapped by a rival group.

Those underground are once more refusing to leave the mine shaft for fear of being arrested.

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, at about 15.

It is not clear when this operation will end, as it is not known exactly how many remain underground, our correspondent says. She says that such miners often take enough food and water to be able to survive underground for several days.

One man came halfway up the shaft and then turned round when he saw the cameras.

Notices warning miners that they face arrest and that the mine will be sealed in two weeks’ time have been thrown down the shaft.

Many of the miners are from Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, officials say.

The official rescue operation was suspended on Sunday after 11 miners agreed to come out. All 11 face charges of illegal mining, police say.