The first of seven men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for over a week has been brought to safety, in a perilous operation involving narrow, deluged tunnels and sharp rocks. The man was described as 'safe and sound' by a Thai rescue technician in a Facebook post.
Four men remain inside a chamber about 300 metres from the cave entrance, where they were found huddled on a rocky ledge. Two others are still missing. Rescuers are racing against time to pump water from the cave before rains return.
International diving teams, including some who worked on the 2018 Thai cave rescue, have been battling difficult conditions. Australian cave diver Josh Richards said the muddy water made visibility extremely poor, comparing it to 'diving in coffee'.
Plans are in place to bring out the remaining four men, with scuba equipment if necessary. Additional divers from Australia, Japan, France, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have joined the effort. The search for the two missing men is expected to be especially challenging due to a narrow 25-metre tunnel.
The group entered the cave last Wednesday to search for gold ore and hunt, but heavy rains inundated the cave, blocking the exit. The cave is in a remote area of Xaisomboun province, requiring a 5km hike over mountainous terrain.
