Four more miners who were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for 10 days have been brought to safety by divers, bringing the total number rescued to five, while the search continues for two remaining missing men.
The latest four were found on Wednesday crouched together on a rocky ledge inside a chamber about 300 metres from the cave entrance, but poor conditions and hazardous terrain delayed their extraction until Saturday. The first man was rescued on Friday, following a perilous operation that involved draining water and navigating collapse hazards.
Rescuers supplied the trapped men with water, soft food and foil blankets while they waited. Video footage showed the first rescue emerging covered in mud and crying out in pain due to injuries to his hands. The second man was filmed climbing out slowly and smiling as he was wrapped in a foil blanket.
Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong of the Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin said teams faced difficulties with temperature, narrow passages, movement control and managing the survivor's panic. Divers had to pass through a 25-metre-long tunnel with no room to turn around, describing the water as like diving in coffee due to poor visibility.
Australian cave diver Josh Richards said the cave's clay and mud walls were particularly unstable, and that pumping out water was essential to improve conditions. Meanwhile, rescue teams were planning to explore a deeper, heavily flooded section about 20 to 25 metres beyond where the survivors were found, as the search for the last two missing men continued.
The men are believed to have entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals such as gold ore, before flash flooding caused by heavy rain blocked their exit with sand and gravel. International diving teams, including some involved in the rescue of a Thai football team in 2018, are taking part in the operation.
