More than 200 illegal miners are reported to be trapped in an abandoned gold shaft near Johannesburg.<br /><br />South African rescuers are trying to reach them and have managed to lower drinking water to some.<br /><br />Local police were alerted after they heard shouts from the miners who had become blocked in by falling rocks.<br /><br />Illegal mining of abandoned shafts is common in South Africa, where people often live underground and dig up the minerals to sell.
