South African authorities are engaged in a standoff with hundreds of illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province, having cut off their food and water supplies as part of a strategy to "smoke them out". The miners in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.

Police have spent weeks working to clear the abandoned gold mine, as part of its Vala Umgodi (Close the Hole) operation to round up and arrest illegal miners.

North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone said information received from those who recently helped bring three miners to the surface indicated that as many as 4,000 miners may be underground. Police have not provided an official estimate.

At least 1,000 illegal miners — known locally as zama-zamas — have surfaced in recent weeks with many reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going without supplies.

Police said on Thursday that they were continuing to guard areas around the mine to catch those appearing from underground. A decomposed body was recovered on Thursday, and pathologists were on the scene, said spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.