{"id":71602,"date":"2026-05-25T08:36:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/seven-people-trapped-in-laos-cave-after-flash-flooding-blocks-exit\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T08:36:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:36:35","slug":"seven-people-trapped-in-laos-cave-after-flash-flooding-blocks-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/seven-people-trapped-in-laos-cave-after-flash-flooding-blocks-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven People Trapped in Laos Cave After Flash Flooding Blocks Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1268\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?resize=1000%2C1268&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?resize=237%2C300&amp;ssl=1 237w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?resize=808%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 808w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?resize=768%2C974&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Emergency crews are working urgently against the clock to reach seven individuals who have remained stuck inside a cave in central Laos since the previous week.<\/p><p>The group of local residents from Xaisomboun province entered the cave on May 19 searching for gold, but intense rainfall caused flash flooding that sealed off their escape route, rescue teams from both Laos and Thailand reported.<\/p><p>On Monday, Bounkham Luanglath, who heads the Laos&#8217; Rescue Volunteer for People, explained to The Associated Press that one member of the original group managed to get out before the entrance became blocked and notified emergency services. The condition of the seven individuals who remain trapped is currently unclear.<\/p><p>According to him, the cave consists of a tight passageway that local residents frequently visit while hunting for gold deposits. He noted that officials had consistently cautioned people not to enter the cave due to safety risks.<\/p><p>Lao National Radio, operated by the state, reported that rescue personnel from Thailand reached the location on Sunday to provide support. Diving teams have started making their way through the water-filled portions of the cave system toward the location where officials believe the group could be stranded.<\/p><p>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos refused to provide comment. The Southeast Asian country operates as a single-party communist government without organized political opposition, and officials frequently restrict information flow.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emergency teams are working urgently to reach seven individuals who have been stuck inside a cave in central Laos since last week. The group entered the cave searching for gold but became trapped when heavy rainfall caused flash flooding that sealed off their escape route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":71601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779712594452.jpg?fit=1000%2C1268&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-iCS","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":74748,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/international-rescue-teams-seek-new-path-to-reach-trapped-cave-victims-in-laos\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":0},"title":"International rescue teams seek new path to reach trapped cave victims in Laos","author":"Admin","date":"June 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Emergency crews are working to find an alternate entrance to a water-filled cave in Laos where two people have been missing for nearly two weeks. Five others from the original group of seven have already been successfully rescued from the flooded cavern.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780299480693.jpg?fit=1000%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780299480693.jpg?fit=1000%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780299480693.jpg?fit=1000%2C853&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780299480693.jpg?fit=1000%2C853&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71922,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/rescue-teams-battle-flooding-terrain-to-save-7-trapped-in-laos-cave\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":1},"title":"Rescue Teams Battle Flooding, Terrain to Save 7 Trapped in Laos Cave","author":"Admin","date":"May 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Seven villagers remain trapped in a flooded cave in central Laos for the seventh day as rescue teams face challenging conditions and weather. The group entered the cave on May 19 but became trapped when heavy rains caused flash flooding that blocked their exit. Rescue teams are exploring air shafts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779784606656.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779784606656.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779784606656.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779784606656.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72555,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/rescue-teams-find-5-cave-trapped-villagers-alive-in-laos-after-week-long-search\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":2},"title":"Rescue Teams Find 5 Cave-Trapped Villagers Alive in Laos After Week-Long Search","author":"Admin","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Rescue teams in Laos have successfully located five villagers who were trapped in a flooded cave for over a week, though two others remain missing. The villagers became stranded when heavy rainfall caused flash flooding that blocked their exit from the cave in central Laos.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779881982842.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779881982842.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779881982842.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779881982842.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74115,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/rescue-teams-work-to-save-4-men-still-trapped-in-flooded-laos-cave\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":3},"title":"Rescue Teams Work to Save 4 Men Still Trapped in Flooded Laos Cave","author":"Admin","date":"May 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"International rescue teams continue efforts to evacuate four villagers trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for 10 days, after successfully bringing out one survivor on Friday. The men were mining for minerals when flash flooding blocked their exit, and two others remain missing.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780130197239.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780130197239.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780130197239.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780130197239.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74430,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/weather-hampers-search-for-two-still-missing-in-laos-cave-rescue\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":4},"title":"Weather Hampers Search for Two Still Missing in Laos Cave Rescue","author":"Admin","date":"May 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ongoing rainfall is complicating efforts to locate two people still trapped in a flooded cave system in Laos. International rescue teams successfully evacuated five villagers last week who had been underground for more than seven days after entering the cave to search for minerals.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780212993216.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780212993216.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780212993216.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780212993216.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71918,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/rescue-teams-make-progress-reaching-7-people-trapped-in-laos-cave\/","url_meta":{"origin":71602,"position":5},"title":"Rescue Teams Make Progress Reaching 7 People Trapped in Laos Cave","author":"Admin","date":"May 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"International rescue crews are making significant headway in their efforts to reach seven people who have been stuck in a cave in Laos for nearly a week. The individuals became trapped after a landslide caused by heavy rainfall blocked their exit while they were searching for gold.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779783785758.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779783785758.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779783785758.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779783785758.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779783785758.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}