Several hundred people are believed to remain in an illegal mine in South Africa after the government cut off vital supplies and refused to help them, in a dramatic bid to crack down on the industry.

A community rescue effort to help illegal miners trapped in a mine shaft in South Africa emerged after police said they wouldn't help.

A standoff between police and illegal miners has gotten heated in South Africa. Reports say hundreds of illegal miners, who entered an abandoned mine in search of leftover gold, refuse to come out for fear they may be arrested.