PHNOM PENH (Bernama): The neck-breaking rescue operations to save the two Laotian miners trapped in a flooded cave in Phonxay village in Xaysomboun Province for nearly two weeks ended on Saturday.
Sabah-based technical cave diver Lee Kian Lie, who was part of the international rescue team, said the Lao government had decided to end the operation on Saturday as the divers faced significant risks in attempts to rescue the two missing miners.
"It is too much risk to continue because there has been a landslide due to soil erosion and boulders are falling inside the cave. It is also a low-oxygen environment and because of the narrow tunnel, rescuers can also be trapped inside,” Lee told Bernama from the site of the incident this afternoon.
The two missing miners are part of a group of seven who entered the cave in search of gold and were trapped inside since May 20 after heavy rain flooded the cave. Waters blocked their exit passage.
Last Saturday, four miners managed to walk out of the cave themselves, while one of them was rescued a day earlier.
Local and international cave-diving experts worked around the clock to remove water from the cave in a perilous rescue operation to locate the missing villagers.
The tough terrain inside the cave, with narrow muddy passage and zero visibility, hampered search operations, while the incessant rain during the monsoon season aggravated the situation.
The miners are believed to have descended about 300 metres underground in search of gold inside the cave, according to rescuers.
"We managed to pump out water from chambers 4 and 5, but the landslide has now blocked the only entrance to the cave.
"We will continue to manage the water by pumping and digging on the possible passage to let the water flow out faster.
"To continue the operation is high risk as the cave entrance appears unstable now. Too much stress was put on the limestone due to these rescue operations,” said Lee.
Earlier, there was a glimmer of hope that the two miners believed trapped in chamber 6 were alive, according to media reports.
"The Loa government has decided to end the operations because they don’t want to risk the lives of the rescuers to save the miners.
"It is sad indeed and the families have been waiting at the site for days, crying. We are removing all our equipment from the site and plan to leave. Perhaps a miracle will happen,” said an exhausted and dejected Lee in a choking voice. -- Bernama
