Four more villagers rescued from flooded Laos cave after 10 days; two still missing

Bangkok: Rescue teams in Laos have successfully evacuated four more villagers trapped inside a flooded cave for 10 days, bringing the total number of people rescued to five, officials confirmed on Saturday. Two men remain missing as search efforts continue.

Lao and Thai rescue organisations shared updates on social media, posting photographs of the survivors being carried from the cave on stretchers while receiving medical assistance.

The villagers are believed to have entered the cave in central Laos in search of valuable minerals before becoming trapped by flash floods that blocked their exit. One member of the group managed to escape and alert authorities after seven others were stranded inside.

According to the Lao rescue organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, falling water levels within the cave enabled divers to escort four men to safety on Saturday. The first survivor was rescued on Friday after an operation lasting around 30 minutes.

Footage released by rescue teams showed the men emerging from flooded passages with the assistance of divers before being wrapped in emergency foil blankets and taken for medical assessment.

Five members of the group were located alive on Wednesday. They were identified only by their first names: Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen. During their time underground, rescuers supplied them with drinking water, soft food and thermal blankets, although videos recorded inside the cave suggested their physical condition had deteriorated.

The multinational rescue effort has involved teams from Laos and neighbouring Thailand, alongside specialists from Japan and Malaysia. Experts from Indonesia, France and Australia have also reportedly joined operations in the remote mountainous region of Xaisomboun province, around 120 kilometres north of the capital, Vientiane.

Several members of the rescue team previously participated in the high-profile 2018 cave rescue in Thailand, when 12 schoolboys and their football coach were saved after becoming trapped underground.

Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong of Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin described the operation as highly challenging due to the cave's narrow, twisting passages and flooded sections.

Rescuers established a base inside a large chamber within the cave, accessible only by navigating more than 200 metres of submerged and constricted tunnels. From there, divers were required to pass through a further flooded section before reaching the trapped men.

"To dive in a cave, there are issues with temperature, narrow spaces, movement control and managing the panic of survivors," Kengkaj said. "It is difficult, but we have to do it."

Rescue teams trained the trapped villagers in the use of diving equipment before the evacuation. Video footage showed divers instructing them on underwater breathing techniques and safety procedures.

Attention is now turning to locating the two remaining missing villagers. Rescuers plan to explore deeper sections of the cave system, estimated to be 20 to 25 metres beyond the area where the survivors were found. However, officials warned that the route remains heavily flooded, presenting significant challenges for search teams.