Nine gold miners in South Africa who were trapped deep underground have been rescued after four days of intense efforts to reach them.

Rescue teams hacked their through hundreds of tonnes of rock to get to the men, who are now said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Work is continuing to reach two other miners who are thought to be seriously injured, but further rock falls are hampering operations.

A mine spokeswoman said there'd been no further contact with the men since Monday, and that it had not been possible to to get medication, water or food to them. Last year more than three-hundred miners were killed in South African gold mines, many of them migrant workers from other African countries.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service