Tragedy has struck South Africa as almost 200 illegal miners remained trapped within an excavation site on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Illegal mining is rampant in the African nation but accidents are nothing new, regardless of the legality of said mines.

According to Reuters' latest reports, twelve miners were rescued from the mine and subsequently arrested. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries yet. Before the rescue, miners who were closer to the surface claimed that 200 miners were trapped inside. The numbers, however, cannot be confirmed.

The mine, which is owned by the Chinese bullion producer Gold One, was not in use at the time. The miners are reportedly trapped inside one of the ventilation shafts called "New Kleinfontein 6," according to Gold One spokesman Grant Stuart, and it is located in the Johannesburg suburb of Benoni.

Werner Vermaak, a spokesman for ER24 emergency services, told Reuters, "It's an abandoned mine shaft in the middle of the public veld [open fields]. It was not a blocked-off area." He also confirmed that miners said there are still roughly 200 miners trapped.

Though illegal mining is rampant in the nation, with concerted efforts by the government to discourage such activities, accidents are not isolated to illegal mining. Earlier in this month South Africa's mining industry experienced another accident. The BBC reported ten deaths at the beginning at the month all at three different mines owned by Harmony Gold.

According to the BBC report, the Harmony Gold accident at Doornkop, which killed 8 miners, was the most serious since an accident in 2009 killed nine workers. However, if there are 200 miners trapped within the New Kleinfontein 6 shaft the largest tragedy may still come.