Rescue workers in Laos on Saturday continued their efforts to safely free four men found alive in a flooded cave after being trapped for 10 days. The operation follows the successful evacuation of the first survivor on Friday. Rescuers hope to extract the remaining four later on Saturday after determining they were not ready to be taken out the previous day. They are working to drain more water from the cave while continuing to search for two people who remain missing.
First Survivor Evacuated
According to rescue officials, it took approximately 30 minutes to evacuate the first survivor from the cave on Friday. Videos released by the rescue team show the moment he emerged from the water alongside a diver, gasping for breath before struggling to crawl through a narrow, flooded passage and rising unsteadily to his feet. As rescuers assisted him away from the tunnel, one could be heard warning others to be careful because his hands were injured. He was then wrapped in a foil blanket and helped into a seated position. Another video shows the man exiting the cave’s entrance with a lamp strapped to his forehead, walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men who handed him over to other team members amid a waiting crowd.
The villagers reportedly entered the cave last week to search for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their exit. One other villager managed to escape in time and alerted authorities to the seven left behind. Five of them were found alive on Wednesday, identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen. It remains unclear which of them was evacuated on Friday.
The trapped men have been supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm, although videos shot inside the cave suggest their conditions continue to deteriorate.
International Rescue Effort
Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand have been joined by colleagues from Japan and Malaysia. Specialists from Indonesia, France, and Australia have also reportedly arrived at the site, located in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane. Several of these experts participated in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach.
Challenges Facing Rescuers
In a video shot on Friday, about an hour before the evacuation of the first man began, Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong of the Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin detailed the challenges facing the operation. The team has set up a station in a large chamber inside the cave, accessible only by navigating more than 200 meters of twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls. From there, divers need to dive through a flooded tunnel about 30 meters before reaching the trapped men.
“To dive in a cave, there are issues with the temperature, narrow areas, control of movement, and managing the panic of the survivor, which will be difficult, but we have to do it,” Kengkaj said. There is a significant risk for the team in guiding the survivors, who lack diving skills, through zero-visibility water.
A video shows Thai diver Norrased Palasing and Finnish diver Mikko Paasi teaching the men how to use diving gear, including breathing techniques underwater. “All the way, breathe through your mouth only. Do not ever breathe with your nose, do you understand?” Norrased said during the session.
Search for Missing Villagers
Rescuers are also preparing to search for the two villagers who remain missing. Kengkaj said the team plans to explore an area deeper inside the cave, about 20 to 25 meters beyond where the survivors were found. However, he cautioned that the section is heavily flooded. “That area has a lot of water. The water goes there because it’s even deeper than this place,” he said.
