EIGHT gold miners who were trapped underground for several days after heavy flooding in Zimbabwe have been rescued, though some of their co-workers are still missing and feared dead.

Rescuers on Saturday pulled the exhausted, muddied survivors from the ground and took them to a tent for medical treatment.

Relatives waiting at the scene ululated, cheered and hugged each other.

Dozens of gold miners were caught underground on the outskirts of Kadoma, west of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, on Tuesday last week.

It is unclear how many miners remain trapped.

The government has said a total of between 60 and 70 people were working underground at the time of the accident.

Due to the consistent downward spiral of Zimbabwe’s economy, residents have been forced to excavate in areas abandoned by major commercial companies in order to put food on their tables.