A search operation for seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in the central region entered its seventh day, as rescuers encountered difficult terrain and weather as they are trying to reach the group whose condition remains unknown.
The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province, 120km north of the capital Vientiane, on May 19.
But heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.
The Lao organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, which is working closely with the local authorities, posted on its Facebook page that yesterday’s operation plan includes exploring air shafts above the cave in hopes of identifying possible access points and locating the trapped people.
Rescuers from neighbouring Thailand also arrived at the site over the weekend to assist the operation.
According to rescuers, divers have navigated about 100m into the flooded, narrow cave.
They believe the villagers may be trapped about 30m beyond the furthest point currently accessible.
They are working to pump water out of the cave to aid the search efforts.
Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that is hampering the operation.
Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave’s entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 4km.
The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person to climb through at a time.
Inside, rescuers must go through muddy passageways, flooded sections and narrow tunnels that forced them to crawl forward.
There has been no official confirmation on why the villagers went into the cave.
However, the rescuers involved said that they went in to look for gold deposits.
Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao rescue group has said the cave was frequented by local residents looking for gold.
This is despite authorities having repeatedly warned them against entering the cave out of safety concerns.
The Laos Foreign Ministry yesterday said it has no official information to share with the media. — AP
