An estimated 4,000 illegal gold miners are hiding underground in South Africa after the government cut off food and water in an effort to "smoke them out" and arrest them. The miners have been in a mineshaft in Stilfontein, in the North West province, for about a month.

Some 4,000 miners believed to be suffering from lack of food and water in move by authorities to force them to surface and face arrest

Police closed off the entrances for moving supplies underground, cutting off miners’ supplies to force them to resurface for arrest.

South Africa’s government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province as part of an official policy against illegal mining

South Africa's government says it will not help about 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province as part of an official policy against illegal mining. The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food,

An estimated 4,000 illegal gold miners are hiding underground in South Africa after the government cut off food and water in an effort to "smoke them out" and arrest them. The miners have been in a mineshaft in Stilfontein,

South Africa's government says it will let thousands of illegal miners starve until they accept their fate and emerge from an abandoned shaft to face arrest.

Officials are hoping the strategy will force the workers out of the mineshaft and to the surface, where they will be arrested.

South African police and ambulances were at the site Thursday of an old gold mine shaft where around 4,000 illegal miners were claimed to be underground, facing arrest if they surface.