Five villagers stuck in a flooded cave in central Laos for more than a week were found alive, rescuers said, but two others are missing.
The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.
Bounkham Luanglath of the Rescue Volunteer for People organisation, which has been working closely with local authorities in the rescue efforts, said that five people were found safe and alive but two more are still missing, and the search for them will continue.
“I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen,” he said in a voice message.
A video posted by a Thai rescue group involved in the mission appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered the trapped villagers.
In the footage, the villagers, each wearing a headlamp, were sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.
Rescue workers from neighbouring Thailand arrived at the site over the weekend.
Those helping out include divers from several nations who took part in the complicated 2018 rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their football coach who were trapped for more than two weeks in a cave before being safely extricated.
The cave is located in a rugged, remote area in Xaisomboun province’s Longcheng district, about 120km north of the capital, Vientiane.
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 at a time to climb through.
There has been no official confirmation on why the villagers went into the cave. However, Bounkham has said that the cave was frequented by local residents looking for gold. — AP
