VIENTIANE (AFP): Rescuers rushed on Thursday to pump water from a flooded cave in Laos, where seven Laotians have been trapped for more than a week, with the fate of two of them unknown.
Specialist divers found five men alive and huddled in a narrow passage around 300 metres (984 feet) from the exit of the cave on Wednesday, but they have yet to be pulled out due to flooding, collapse risks and other hazards underground.
The seven have been stuck inside the cave in central Xaysomboun province, northeast of the capital Vientiane, since May 20, according to state media.
They were searching for gold but got trapped after heavy rain triggered flash flooding, blocking their exit, the reports said.
With more rainfall expected, Thai rescuer Kengkad Bongkawong said Thursday that teams were racing to remove water from the cave.
"If we are able to pump out a lot of water tonight, we will begin the extraction tonight," he wrote on social media.
"But if it is deemed too risky after an assessment, we will reconsider."
Foreign rescuers -- including two divers involved in the dramatic 2018 retrieval of a youth football team from a flooded cave in Thailand -- joined Laotian volunteers this week after local groups requested specialist personnel and equipment to aid efforts.
Kengkad said a Malaysian cave diver was one of the latest foreigners to join the rescue operation.
Additional divers from Japan, France, Indonesia and Thailand were expected to arrive on Friday "to prevent emergencies, including the risk from additional rainwater expected to flow in tomorrow".
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, part of the team that saved the "Wild Boars" football team in Thailand, said on Wednesday that rescuers were "racing against time" inside the cave, which he called an "abandoned gold mine".
The cave system, located in a remote mountainous area, extends deep underground, with multiple levels and tight tunnels.
On Thursday morning, rain sent more soil and water into the cave, according to a Laotian logistics staffer for a firm supplying vehicles to support the rescue operation.
"If there isn't too much more rain, they may be able to bring them out today. But if heavier rain comes, it could take a few more days," said the man, who requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal from his employer.
Local villagers, rescue groups and logistics workers were also supporting the operation, with more than 20 people standing by at the cave entrance, he said.
"Morale improved yesterday. People are happy and hopeful today after the five people were found." -- AFP
