One Man Rescued, Six Remain Trapped in Laos Cave

After more than a week in darkness and rising floodwater, one of seven men trapped in a semi-submerged cave in Laos was brought out alive, according to the rescue team leading the operation.

The men had been stranded in the cavern since 20 May in a remote, mountainous part of central Xaysomboun province, where they were searching for gold when flash floods cut off their escape, according to early reports from state media.

Rescuers found five of the men alive on Wednesday, sheltering together in a narrow shaft about 300m from the cave entrance.

Video captured by rescue divers showed the group caked in mud and visibly shaken, speaking of chest pains and sharp hunger, while the other two men in their party are still missing.

Crews have concentrated their efforts on draining monsoon water from the cave, where floodwaters had sealed the men inside.

“One person has got out of the cave safely,” Thai rescue team member Kengkard Bonggawong said in a separate Facebook post.

“We will assess the other four and we will hunt for the other two tomorrow.”

Earlier in the day, images posted on social media showed Thai rescue teams outside the cave practicing extraction drills with stretchers, ropes and cables.

Laos’s meteorology office forecast thunderstorms, with rainfall expected across 60% of Xaysomboun province.

At the same time, a fresh group of specialist divers arrived in Laos, including personnel from Thailand, France Indonesia and Australia, Thai rescuers said.

The crisis has drawn comparisons to the 2018 rescue of a Thai youth football team, whose members survived 18 days inside a cave in northern Thailand before an audacious international mission brought them out alive.

Two divers who took part in the operation to save the 12 young footballers and their coach are now working alongside Laotian volunteers after local authorities sought specialist expertise and equipment.

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who was part of the team that rescued the “Wild Boars” football team in Thailand, said on Wednesday that those inside the Laotian cave were “racing against time”.

Rain the following day pushed more soil and water into the cave, according to a Laotian logistics staffer at a company providing vehicles for the rescue effort.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from his employer, the man said yesterday the operation could last “a few more days” if the rain kept falling.

Local media in Laos reported that several rescue workers had shown signs of exhaustion after spending seven to 10 hours at a stretch inside the cave system, hauling oxygen tanks, rescue gear and other supplies.