Divers Rescue Five Villagers Alive From Flooded Cave in Central Laos, Two Missing

Divers emerged from flooded, muddy cave passages in central Laos to find five villagers alive after they had been trapped for more than a week, while two others remained missing.

“Laos cave operation locates 5 people, search group says, with 2 still missing Villagers searching for gold were trapped in the cave by flash flooding”

ABC News

Laos’ Rescue Volunteer for People leader Bounkham Luanglath told the Associated Press, "I’m still shaking," and said, "Our team made it happen."

ABC News

NBC News reported that divers Mikko Paasi and Norrased Palasing found the five villagers huddled on a rock with headtorches still illuminated, and that the men had been trapped for eight days inside the flooded caves.

The BBC said the seven were part of a group in the central province of Xaysomboun that went into the cave in search of gold deposits and wildlife, but could not get out as the cave’s entrance was blocked.

The BBC also reported that rescuers said the cave system was extremely narrow, with some chambers measuring only about 50cm (20in) wide, and that the search for the missing would continue.

Rescue teams said the group entered the cave on May 19, and heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people underground.

The Guardian described how rescuers reached five of seven people after days navigating narrow, inundated passageways amid persistent rain, with video footage showing the men crouched together on a rocky ledge surrounded by muddy water.

ABC7 Chicago

Mikko Paasi wrote on social media that the discovery was "This is only a brief relief" because the five survivors were still in the terminal chamber and "the extraction is still ahead and it ain’t going to be easy."

ABC News reported that Kengkard Bongkawong, head of operations for the Metta Tham Rescue group, said in a Facebook post that the five people located were "in good health," adding, "Search continues for 2 more."

The BBC said Paasi estimated the seven people were trapped around 300m (984ft) from the exit, and that he earlier told rescuers they needed to "navigate hundreds of metres of constant restrictions" inside the cave.

Rescuers faced a multi-day operation shaped by terrain and conditions, including a 2.5-mile hike to reach the cave entrances and flooded, muddy passages once inside.

The E! Online account said divers first set out on May 20 but heavy rain and hazardous terrain turned the rescue into a multi-day operation, and it described rescuers swimming through muddy cave passages before emerging to discover five men sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.

The Guardian reported that on Tuesday the team focused on reinforcing safety measures and installing internet cables in the cave so they could monitor the situation and relay first-aid advice quickly if necessary.

In a warning about the environment inside, the BBC quoted Paasi saying rescuers needed to "navigate hundreds of metres of constant restrictions, flood waters, collapse hazards and high risk of contaminated air quality" inside the cave.

As the search continued, the BBC said the villagers were about 120km (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane, and that the cave was described as an "abandoned gold mine" by specialist rescue diver Mikko Paasi.