Rescuers have reached five of seven people trapped for a week in a flooded, remote cave in Laos, after days spent navigating narrow, inundated passageways amid persistent rain. Video footage shared on social media by rescue divers showed the five men crouched together on a rocky ledge in a dark cave chamber, surrounded by muddy water. Two men remain unaccounted for.
When asked about their health, the men told the rescuers they were hungry and dehydrated. Outside, rescuers jumped up and down in joy, hugging one another after learning the group had been located. A boy, among families desperately waiting for news, spotted his father in the group and raised his hands in a gesture of gratitude.
Mikko Paasi, a Finnish diver who helped in the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018, wrote on social media: 'What a feeling. This is only a brief relief as the five survivors are still in the terminal chamber, all healthy and in good spirits, but the extraction is still ahead and it ain’t going to be easy.'
The group reportedly entered the cave in Xaysomboun province, central Laos, to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, but heavy rain blocked the cave entrance. For days, teams had been battling to reach a terminal chamber about 300 metres from the cave entrance, crawling and climbing through tunnels that were at times just 60cm deep.
Kengkard Bongkawong, head of operations of the Metta Than Rescue group from Thailand, told the Guardian they were now planning how to locate the remaining two men. 'Health checks and first aid were administered at the scene,' he said. Rescuers have remained optimistic, saying the group originally entered the mine with resources to stay for several days.
