Five of seven villagers who became trapped in a flooded cave in central Laos after going in search of gold have been found alive, rescue teams confirmed on Wednesday — as the operation to locate the remaining two missing people continues.
The Laotian rescue group Rescue Volunteer for People announced the breakthrough in a social media post, saying: “We’ve found five people alive and all safe. There are still two people we are searching for.” Volunteer Bounkham Luanglath confirmed the news in a voice message, adding: “I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen.”
The seven villagers entered the cave in Xaysomboun province, central Laos, on 20 May in search of gold, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped them underground. They have been without any confirmed contact with the outside world for more than a week.
The rescue operation drew in specialist expertise from across the region. Two Thai divers and a Finnish expert who participated in the dramatic 2018 rescue of a young Thai football team from a flooded cave joined the operation, navigating a 340-metre tunnel — some sections of which are just 60 centimetres wide — that rescuers had to crawl through on their hands and knees. Footage posted on social media showed rescuers wading through chest-high muddy water in near darkness while wearing helmets and breathing masks, with gas monitors in use to track oxygen levels and toxic gases in the narrow system.
Teams also worked to pump water out of the tunnels and deployed a rope team on a rappelling mission to scan for possible access routes through four shafts identified on the mountain above the cave. State-run Lao News Agency reported that the group were believed to have been sheltering on an elevated ledge deep within the cave that benefits from continuous airflow — a factor that gave rescuers confidence they could be found alive. Thai diver Kengkad Bongkawong, who helped coordinate the operation and was involved in the 2018 Thai rescue, told CNN: “We think they should survive — the location where they are is the safest spot.”
The search for the two remaining missing villagers is ongoing.
