Rescuers have reached five of seven people trapped for a week in a flooded cave in Laos, but two men remain unaccounted for. The group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, but heavy rain blocked the entrance.
Video footage shared by rescue divers showed the five men crouched on a rocky ledge in a dark chamber, surrounded by muddy water. The men told rescuers they were hungry and dehydrated. Outside, families celebrated as a boy spotted his father among the survivors.
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who helped in the 2018 Thai cave rescue, described the environment as “extremely remote and hostile”. He noted that extraction would be difficult, as the survivors remain in the terminal chamber. Thai and international divers have been navigating narrow, flooded passageways to reach the group.
Rescuers are now planning to locate the remaining two men. Health checks and first aid have been administered to the five survivors. Persistent rain continues to hamper efforts, with teams forced to retreat when water levels rise.
It remains unclear whether the group was engaged in small-scale artisanal gold mining or working for a company. Alluvial mining has boomed in Laos, with nearly 200 such mines opening between 2023 and 2025, though the government recently banned new permits for alluvial gold mining.
