Rescuers have brought the first of seven men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos to safety, with four more still inside a chamber and two yet to be located. The man emerged covered in mud and was wrapped in an emergency blanket, according to social media video and rescue officials.
The operation, which has involved international diving teams including veterans of the 2018 Thai cave rescue, has been hampered by narrow, flooded tunnels with sharp rocks and poor visibility. Josh Richards, an Australian cave diver who joined the mission on Friday, compared the conditions to "diving in coffee", saying the unstable clay and mud walls meant virtually nothing could be seen.
Four men remain in a small chamber about 300 metres from the cave entrance, where they were found huddled on a rocky ledge on Wednesday. A rescue technician for the Saithan Saphanboon Foundation, Manat Artmongkron, announced the first rescue on Facebook, writing "Safe and sound!!!" Kengkard Bongkawong, head of operations for another Thai group, Metta Tham Rescue, said the search for the two missing men would continue the following day.
Mr Richards said rescuers planned to attempt to bring the four other men out, using a two-pronged approach: pumping water from the tunnels while preparing scuba equipment should that prove unsuccessful. Additional divers from Australia, Japan, France, Indonesia and Thailand were due to arrive on Friday, with a Malaysian diver already on site.
The search for the two missing men is particularly dangerous, requiring divers to negotiate a 25-metre-long narrow passage with no room to turn around, according to Mr Bongkawong. Heavy machinery is being used to clear a route to the remote cave in Xaisomboun province, which involves a 3-mile (5km) hike up mountainous terrain.
The group entered the cave last Wednesday to search for gold ore and hunt, but heavy rains inundated the cave, carrying sand and gravel that blocked their exit.
