Emergency teams battling flooding in a remote Laos cave announced Friday they are pumping water from the underground chambers in hopes of extracting five villagers who have been stuck inside for more than a week.
Recent overnight storms have made their mission more challenging, rescue officials reported. Teams are also continuing their search for two additional people who remain unaccounted for. The group had reportedly gone into the cave seeking valuable minerals.
International rescue specialists from Laos and Thailand have collaborated throughout the week, navigating winding, tight corridors with sharp rock formations and water-filled sections of the underground system. The cave sits in a mountainous region of central Xaisomboun province, roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane.
The rescue team includes multiple divers who participated in the complex 2018 mission in northern Thailand that saved 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach after they spent more than two weeks trapped underground.
According to the Lao organization Rescue Volunteer for People, a Malaysian diver is also participating in the operation. Kengkaj Bongkawong, who leads the Thai rescue group Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, reported that diving specialists from Indonesia, Japan and France were traveling to join the effort.
Wednesday’s confirmation that five trapped villagers had been located sparked celebration among rescue personnel. Officials confirmed they would press forward with the search for the remaining two missing individuals.
Footage captured by Thai cave diver Norrased Palasing documented the powerful moment when he and Finnish diving instructor Miiko Paasi surfaced and found the stranded men. The video shows the men with headlamps, seated on rocks while surrounded by floodwater.
The Lao rescue organization identified the five men by their first names: Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen. Reports indicate they were in stable condition but weakened by dehydration and hunger. Rescue divers have provided them with soft food and water.
The men could be heard crying out when they spotted their rescuers, and Norrased asked about their physical condition and circumstances.
The men introduced themselves on camera and sent reassuring messages to their loved ones.
“Don’t worry mom, dad. I’m still strong, I’m still healthy. Tomorrow I will be home. I love you mom and dad,” said the man who identified himself as Mued.
Lao authorities report the villagers typically gather resources from the mountainous, densely forested area to support themselves.
The villagers had reportedly gone into the cave searching for gold deposits. Bounphong Khammanyvong, a local official in Longcheng, the district containing the cave, explained they had spotted rocks or sand with distinctive colors inside the cave and entered hoping to extract them to determine their value.
In a Thursday interview with local media outlet Xaisomboun Province Television, Bounphong explained the villagers became trapped when heavy rainfall caused flooding that prevented their exit. An eighth member of the group who managed to escape notified authorities.
He stated the group entered on May 20, which differs from rescuers who reported the date as May 19.
Rescue Volunteer for People announced on its Facebook page that Friday’s mission included pumping water from the cave system to attempt evacuating the five villagers later that day, but heavy morning rainfall had hindered their progress.
“The front of the cave is in a low-lying area. When it rains, all water will flow down to this area and into the cave,” Bounphong explained during his interview.
