Rescuers Free Four Villagers From Flooded Laos Cave, Two Still Missing

Rescuers in Laos freed four villagers from a flooded cave on Saturday after the group had been trapped for 10 days, while two men remained missing after a flash-flooding incident tied to a gold search.

ABC News quoted Australian cave diver Josh Richards describing the moment four miners emerged: "four very muddy miners just suddenly emerged out of the out of the cave on their own," and said the men crawled out after rescuers pumped enough water out for them to leave.

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The BBC said the first of five men found alive was freed after spending more than a week trapped, with rescue divers finding them huddled together 300m (984ft) from the cave mouth in central Xaysomboun province.

The BBC added that the men were hunting for gold when they were cut off inside the cavern after flash floods hit on 20 May, and it said two other men were still missing.

The Associated Press reported that the first of the trapped group was safely evacuated on Friday and that the operation took about 30 minutes, with videos showing him emerging from the water alongside a diver before crawling through a narrow, flooded passage.

The rescue effort relied on divers and pumping operations, and the BBC said a last-resort plan involved teaching the trapped men how to scuba dive and swim out after an earlier plan to pump out flood waters failed.

CNN reported that after water levels dropped, the group scrambled their way out, taking even rescuers by surprise, and it said the men were understood to have entered the cave in search of gold.

ABC News

NBC News said Thai rescuer Adisak Wongsoraya posted video on Facebook showing families tearfully embracing the rescued men as they emerged from the cave, while Thai rescuer Ariya Rommai posted video showing the rescued men wrapped in foil and lying on stretchers as they received medical treatment.

Josh Richards told the Guardian that rescuers were trying to pump out as much water as possible because of the cave’s "particularly unstable" clay and mud walls, and he said, "You’re essentially diving in coffee."

The Guardian also quoted Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong saying rescuers faced "issues with the temperature, narrow areas, control of movement, and managing the panic of the survivor" while they were diving.

Even as four men were evacuated, the rescue operation remained focused on the two missing villagers, with the Associated Press saying rescuers were preparing to search for the two villagers who remain missing.

The BBC said the rescue was a race against time in an isolated part of the country, and it reported that on Friday a Thai rescue group added: "The first victim has been successfully rescued out of the cave."

NBC News said it was unclear where the two missing men are, 11 days on from their disappearance, and it described limited visibility inside the cave due to cramped conditions and murky water.

The Associated Press reported that Rescue Volunteer for People said the water level receded low enough for the men to leave with divers who had gone in to deliver food and water, and it said the group would continue its search for the two who remain missing.

The Guardian said rescuers were planning to explore an area deeper inside the cave about 20 to 25 meters beyond where the survivors were found, while warning that the section was heavily flooded.