BANGKOK: Two Thailand-based cave diving experts from the 2018 Tham Luang rescue have joined efforts to save seven people trapped in a flooded cave in Laos, where rising water, narrow passages and remote mountain access are hampering the mission.
The rescue operation is under way in Long Chaeng district, Xaysomboun province, after heavy rain and flooding cut off access to a cave linked to gold mining activity.
The seven have been trapped for several days, while local and foreign rescue teams race to find a safe route through the waterlogged and confined passageways.
According to the Thailand Rescue Diver network, Mikko Paasi and Naset Palasingh, both experienced Thailand-based cave diving specialists who took part in the 2018 Tham Luang rescue, have travelled to Laos to reinforce the operation. The two were expected to join the mission immediately after arriving at the site.
Their arrival adds specialist cave-diving expertise to a mission that has drawn comparisons with the Tham Luang operation in Chiang Rai, where the Wild Boars football team and their coach were rescued from a flooded cave in 2018.
Footage from inside the cave, posted by Thai rescuer “Pond” Chakkrit Taengtang, showed the scale of the challenge facing the rescue team.
The route is narrow, muddy and dark, with some sections so cramped that rescuers have to push themselves through slowly, one person at a time, using only their headlamps for visibility.
Chakkrit said continuous rainfall remained one of the biggest obstacles, as water levels inside the cave kept rising. Rescuers also face slippery ground, possible oxygen limitations and constantly changing water conditions, making it difficult to maintain a steady operation inside the tunnel.
The rescue site is difficult to reach. Thai rescuers and volunteers, about 26 in total, travelled from Nong Khai to Vientiane before Lao authorities helped fly them by helicopter to the operational area.
The final approach to the cave is also exhausting. Rescuers must move through steep mountain terrain, with the route to and from the cave front taking one to two hours. Because of the difficult access, personnel have been forced to rest at the scene rather than travel repeatedly between the cave and lower ground.
Rescuers were believed to be about 30 metres from a raised area inside the cave where the trapped people may have taken shelter, although a shortage of rope and continuing rain remained obstacles. The team was expected to reassess conditions before pushing deeper into the cave.
Lao authorities have mobilised administrative officials, soldiers, police, medical personnel and local residents, while pumps have been used to drain water from the cave. However, persistent rain has slowed progress and kept the mission highly unstable.
The operation is now a race against time, weather and terrain, with hopes focused on reaching the seven people safely before rising water further complicates the rescue. - The Nation/ANN
