Families anxiously await news at South African mine shaft where hundreds are feared trapped below ground

Hundreds of families are gathering at a mine in South Africa, desperately hoping for news of their loved ones, who have been trapped underground for days.

The miners were working at the Sibanye-Stillwater gold mine near Westonaria, west of Johannesburg, when a power outage caused the elevator to malfunction, leaving them stranded more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) below the surface.

Rescue crews have been working around the clock to reach the miners, but their efforts have been hampered by the unstable ground conditions and the lack of ventilation.

The families of the trapped miners have been anxiously waiting for news, and their hopes have been buoyed by reports that some of the miners have been able to communicate with the surface.

However, the situation remains precarious, and the families are aware that time is running out.

One of the miners' wives, who has been waiting at the mine since the accident, said that she is trying to stay positive, but that it is difficult to know what is happening underground.

"I just want to know if my husband is alive," she said. "I can't bear the thought of him being trapped down there in the dark.