VIENTIANE/BANGKOK (Bernama): Five of the seven miners trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos for the past week have been rescued, according to Thailand-based diver Mikko Paasi, who is involved in the multinational rescue operation.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Paasi shared a video of the extraction showing the latest group of survivors being escorted to safety by members of the rescue team.
"All five miners out safe and sound!" Paasi wrote in the caption accompanying the video.
Earlier, another Thailand-based diver, Norrased Palasing, shared on Facebook that rescuers had successfully extracted one of the trapped men from the flooded cave on Friday night.
He said one person had been brought out safely, and stressed that the operation would continue until the remaining survivors were rescued.
"Everyone on the team is still fighting with everything we have - our strength, our hearts, and our hope.
"Please continue sending support to every member of the rescue team, and keep the remaining survivors in your prayers. We will do our best to bring them home safely," he said.
It is understood that efforts to locate and rescue the remaining two men by a multinational team of rescuers and dive specialists are ongoing.
On May 20, seven Laotian villagers reportedly entered a cave in Phonxay district, Xaysomboun province, in central Laos and became trapped after rising water levels flooded parts of the cave system.
-- BERNAMA
