Miners are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport supplies.

Authorities in South Africa have cut off supplies to nearly 4,000 illegal gold miners hiding underground, as the government is making an effort to "smoke them out" and arrest them, officials announced Thursday.

Officials are hoping the strategy will force the workers out of the mineshaft and to the surface, where they will be arrested.