Desperate relatives of possibly hundreds of illegal miners trapped underground in a disused mineshaft in South Africa waited outside the facility on Friday, hoping their loved ones would emerge safely.

The miners fell out with police, who blocked food and water supplies and arrested them for illegally entering the abandoned mine to search for the remaining gold, a common problem in South Africa.

More than 1,000 illegal miners have resurfaced in recent weeks amid a crackdown by police and the return of at least one body. Hundreds of people are believed to still be underground.

It was not clear whether those remaining at the mine in the North West province of Stilfontein were willing or able to exit the shaft, which runs more than 2 km (1.2 miles) vertically underground.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who visited the area on Friday, said authorities would work together to get them out. A cabinet minister had previously said the government would not send aid because they were “criminals”.

“We need a much faster process because it’s risky and dangerous for them to stay where they are,” Mchunu told a news briefing.

Police and community members stood around the rocky entrance Friday, where a pulley had been set up to pull the men out. A community leader told local news outlet News24 on Thursday that the men were too weak to leave the mine.

“I’m waiting for the young people who are underground and dying here,” Roselina Nyuzeya, a Zimbabwean national, told Reuters from behind a police barricade blocking access to the open hole. he said.

Nyuzeya said that a woman crying nearby was waiting for her husband, who had been underground since April.

Illegal mining has plagued South Africa for decades through petty theft and organized crime networks. Many of those who undertake the risky task of entering former industrial mines are immigrants from neighboring countries.

They are referred to as zama-zamas, a local Zulu term meaning “taking a risk.”

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Wednesday the government would not send aid to criminals but would instead “eliminate” them.

Some community members held signs reading “Smoke the ANC” in response, referring to the ruling African National Congress party.

Matsidiso Ramolla, a 41-year-old resident of Stilfontein, said, “We are asking for help from the government so that our children can get out of the mine. All we want is for their remains to be uncovered.”