Rescue teams have found five villagers who were stuck in a cave in Xaisomboun province, central Laos, following flash flooding, but two more people are missing
Five villagers stuck in a flooded cave in Laos for more than a week have been found alive – but two others are still missing.
The people entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.
Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organization Rescue Volunteer for People, which has been working closely with local authorities in the rescue efforts, said that five people were found safe and alive but two more are still missing, and the search will continue for them.
“I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen,” he said in a voice message.
A video posted by a Thai rescue group involved in the mission appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered the trapped villagers. In the footage, the villagers, each wearing a headlamp, were sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.
It had previously posted on its Facebook page that Tuesday’s operation plan included exploring air shafts above the cave in hopes of identifying possible access points and locating the trapped people.
Rescue workers from neighbouring Thailand arrived at the site over the weekend to assist the operation. Those helping out include divers from several countries who took part in the complicated 2018 rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach who were trapped for more than two weeks in a cave before being safely extricated.
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