South African police said that 11 miners trapped by debris in an abandoned mine shaft and later rescued face charges of illegal mining.

The miners were still in police custody after trying to escape during the rescue.

Emergency workers said other miners who were working illegally at the site had refused to come out of the shaft because they feared arrest.

The trapped miners were discovered when police heard shouting from a mine entrance that had been blocked by a large boulder.

Emergency workers cleared the mine entrance of debris on Sunday, allowing miners who had been trapped below the chance to escape.

The 11 arrested miners were escorted to safety at the mine in Benoni, Johannesburg, but an unknown number of comrades were left in the gold mine.

After nightfall, several mine security officials remained at the site, but rescue workers packed up and left, leaving behind a ladder in the shaft for those still below.

When the officials left, several miners climbed out and escaped.

It was not known how many were still in the shaft, but earlier reports said more than 200 miners had been trapped.

And the ones who emerged were tight-lipped about how many of their colleagues they left behind.

The 11 who came out were dehydrated but otherwise in good health.

There have been clashes between rival groups seeking to extract precious metals from illegal shafts and some reports suggested the miners had been robbed by a rival group that blocked the mine exit.