Rescuers in Zimbabwe on Saturday pulled eight illegal miners alive from a flooded gold mine where officials believe up to 70 have been trapped for three days, state television said. Artisanal miner Thnkmore Mandimutsa sits in a tent after being rescued as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

"Eight miners have been rescued following the Kadoma mine disaster where suspected scores of miners lost their lives this week," Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said. A rescued artisanal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

The rescued received medical attention on site and "are in a stable condition and have been ferried to hospital," it said. Television footage showed some of the men, in wet and muddied clothes, being carried - without stretchers - to a makeshift clinic. A rescued artisinal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

One was seen in a clip posted on Twitter telling journalists that the water rose to neck level, forcing them to stand for days until it receded. A rescued artisinal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

On Friday the government said that between 60-70 "artisanal" miners were trapped in two shafts. A rescued artisinal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

It launched an appeal for $200,000 to be used "to pump out water, feeding the bereaved families and the (rescue) teams on the ground, transportation and burial of the victims", local minister July Moyo said in a statement. A rescued artisinal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

"Given the magnitude of this disaster, we kindly appeal to individuals, development partners and the corporate world for assistance in cash and kind," he said. Artisanal miners Thnkmore Mandimutsa and Simon Mushonga sit in a tent after being rescued as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019.

Zimbabwe is the throws of a deep economic crisis, the worst in a decade. A rescued artisanal miner is carried from a pit as retrieval efforts proceed for trapped illegal gold miners in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, February 16, 2019. (Text: AFP; Photo: VCG)