Rescuers in Laos have resumed their search for two men believed to be trapped deep inside a flooded gold mine in Xaysomboun province. The operation had been temporarily halted due to heavy rain.
Background of the Incident
Eight individuals entered the remote cave on 20 May 2026 to hunt for wildlife and search for gold. One managed to escape as heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides, but the remaining seven became trapped when rising floodwaters and debris blocked the entrance.
Rescue Efforts
A massive search and rescue operation was launched, involving international dive specialists from Thailand, Australia, and Japan. Five men were discovered by divers on Wednesday, 27 May. By Friday, the first villager was evacuated, and on Saturday, four more emerged after spending ten days underground. They were able to walk and crawl out on their own before meeting divers.
Robin Cuesta, a diver involved in the operation, told ABC News that search teams planned to descend via a newly discovered 196-foot-deep shaft on Thursday, hoping it leads to a chamber where the two missing miners may be trapped.
Mikko Paasi, a Finnish cave diver who located the group of five, earlier stated that a hydrological team from Thailand, which assisted in the 2018 Thai cave rescue, was en route to support the operation. "We still believe we can find those guys alive," he said.
Potential New Entrance
After the rescue of the five men, they drew a map indicating a large air chamber in a section beyond where they were found. Rescuers believe the two remaining men may be there. However, heavy monsoon rain has flooded the extremely narrow passage used for the earlier rescues.
On Sunday, South Australian diver Josh Richards and other rescuers discovered a possible new entrance—a deep vertical shaft higher up the hill. The team attempted to descend using ropes but found blocked passages. "They dropped down about 60 to 80 metres, they definitely identified a couple of tunnels, but they're all completely full of rockfall and landslide," Richards told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He added that they banged on the walls but received no response.
Ongoing Search
Paasi noted that there are several potential vertical shafts that might lead into the mine tunnel. "We are also working on the water pumps as well, we're not giving up while we're here," he said. On his Instagram, he wrote that after extracting the first five miners, the mine flooded again, and pumping water out has been challenging. Diving is considered too dangerous, so the focus has shifted to finding alternative entrances from above.
Climber teams have located several vertical shafts, including one over 70 metres deep directly over the mine. Unfortunately, the passages at the bottom were collapsed, and percussion communication attempts yielded no reply.
Concerns for Survivors
The trapped men likely had only a few days' worth of supplies when they entered, but flooding and landslides have left them stranded much longer, raising serious concerns about their survival. Rescue teams continue to pump water out of the cave, but divers warn that passing through flooded sections is currently too dangerous.
Richards, who has returned to Australia, described the conditions inside the cave as "truly horrendous." He recounted: "To put it in perspective, in the first 20 metres, as we were heading in, I nearly drowned ... in about an inch of water," adding that his helmet got caught on the roof of a narrow part, driving his face into the mud. He likened the experience to being born again due to the tight squeeze through some passages.
