Laos Rescue Divers Evacuate First Villager From Flooded Cave After Flash Floods

Rescue divers in Laos evacuated the first of five villagers trapped in a flooded cave after flash flooding cut off their way out, with the Thai rescue group posting that "The first victim has been successfully rescued out of the cave."

The men had been hunting for gold when they were trapped after flash floods hit on 20 May, and five were discovered alive on Wednesday when divers found them huddled together 300m (984ft) from the cave mouth.

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Laos and Thai rescue workers posted updates on social media on Friday night, and the trapped men had already been supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm.

Rescuers faced two tasks—extricating the five found alive and finding two more who were still missing—while an overnight rainstorm complicated efforts after water was pumped out of the flooded cave’s passages.

The BBC described the rescue in the remote mountain area of central Xaysomboun province as a race against time, with thunderstorms predicted for Friday evening along with rain in 60 per cent of the region.

A multinational rescue effort continued after the first extraction, with Lao and Thai rescue workers joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues and with Indonesian and French specialists reported to be heading to the site.

Thai rescue diver Norrased Palasing spoke with trapped villager Khamla, urging him to attempt to swim out immediately, saying "I can't go on. I don't have any strength," as the water was being drained.

ABC News

Rescue operations for the remaining four known survivors were suspended until Saturday because they were not ready, according to Chakkit Taengtang of Sai Than Association, one of the Thai rescue organisations at the scene.

The BBC reported that footage of the five men shot on Wednesday showed them miserable and caked in mud, telling rescuers they were suffering chest pains and starving hungry.

Kengkard Bonggawong, head of Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue, said on Facebook that the remaining four villagers were awaiting assessment before evacuation, while the search for two other missing people continued.

With two men still missing after the first rescue, the next phase depended on whether teams could extract the remaining four known survivors while continuing to hunt for the two unaccounted for.

The BBC quoted Thai rescue team member Kengkard Bonggawong saying on social media, "We will assess the other four and we will hunt for the other two tomorrow."

ABC News said the evacuation operation paused Friday night and would continue Saturday, while officials also said the search for the two missing villagers ended Friday night and would resume Saturday morning.

The Guardian framed the extraction as potentially life threatening, writing that "The job is not over yet. The next step is to find a way to mobilise the five people out of the cave."

In the Guardian’s account of the conditions, some tunnels were just 60cm wide and the chamber was around 300 metres from the exit, while Mikko Paasi described the environment as extremely remote and hostile.