Four More People Rescued From Flooded Cave in Laos
The breakthrough came hours after another man was pulled from the flooded cave last night, though two others are still missing.
A dramatic cave rescue in Laos gathered pace this morning as Thai rescuers said four more men had been brought out alive after 10 days trapped in a semi-submerged cavern.
The breakthrough came hours after another man was pulled from the flooded cave last night, though two others are still missing.
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Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian rescue diver, said the four were freed after crews pumped water out of the cavern.
Video recorded by Mr Lee at the scene showed teams working beneath a makeshift tent as they tended to four people on stretchers, each wrapped in thermal blankets.
In a Facebook post, the Thailand Rescue Diver page said that “rescue officials were able to bring out four more people trapped” at about 3.10pm local time, or 9.10am Irish time this morning.
The operation had centred on pumping monsoon flood waters from the cave
“A total of five people have now been rescued, while two remain missing,” the post said.
Seven men had been trapped in the cavern in a remote mountainous part of central Xaysomboun province since 20 May, according to early state media reports, after flash floods cut them off while they were searching for gold.
Heavy rain triggered the sudden flooding that sealed the cave’s exit and left the group stranded inside.
Five of the men were found alive on Wednesday, sheltering in a narrow shaft about 300 metres from the cave entrance.
On Friday, rescuers led one exhausted and mud-covered man across treacherous ground to safety.
Since then, efforts have focused on draining the monsoon waters that surged into the cave and trapped the men.
Earlier this morning, rescuers had voiced growing confidence that the remaining four known survivors could be brought out.
Mr Lee, who is part of a specialist cave-diving team called in to help, said after arriving at the scene that prospects were “getting more positive” as water levels fell and supplies continued to be sent in.
There was no update on the two men who remain unaccounted for.
The Lao Saychai Foundation posted a video on its Facebook page of the man rescued the previous day, identified only as Meud, who said the two missing men had gone about 500 metres deeper into the cave than he had.
Asked whether he believed they were still alive, he replied: “I’m afraid it’s too cold there.”
Footage shot earlier in the week by rescue divers showed the five men who have now been rescued covered in mud and visibly distressed, complaining of chest pains and hunger.
On Thursday, Thai rescue teams rehearsed extraction procedures outside the cave using stretchers, ropes and cables, according to images shared on social media.
A fresh group of specialist divers later arrived in Laos, including members from Thailand, France, Indonesia and Australia, Thai rescuers said.
The crisis has drawn comparisons with the 2018 rescue of a Thai youth football team that spent 18 days trapped in a cave in northern Thailand before an international operation brought them out alive.
Two divers who took part in the retrieval of the 12 young footballers and their coach are now working alongside Laotian volunteers after local teams requested specialist personnel and equipment.
