Mine rescue teams on-site at decommissioned Roodepoort mine to retrieve trapped zama zamas

JOHANNESBURG - Mine rescue teams have arrived back on-site at a decommissioned mine in Roodepoort, where a rescue mission is set to get underway on Monday morning.

At least two illegal miners are believed to have been trapped underground over the weekend when a rope they were using to get up and down the shaft snapped.

It is unclear at this stage if there are other people underground.

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A team of close to 20 experts are on site, plotting the operation.

At this point, they are going in blind.

It is unclear how deep the shaft is or how many people are underground.

It is expected to be an intricate operation, first to determine the safety conditions around the shaft before an expert is sent down with equipment to establish conditions underground.

Already, there are concerns that the oxygen levels are low underground, with the last reading sitting at 15%.

This is considered too low for survival when subjected to those levels for too long.