South African authorities ‘will not help illegal workers inside closed mine’

An estimated 4,000 illegal miners are trapped in a disused mine in Stilfontein, South Africa (AP)

South Africa’s government has said it will not help about 4,000 illegal workers inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province as part of an official policy against the practice.

The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.