Laos cave rescue: Five of seven gold-seekers freed after 10 days in flooded cave
Five of seven men trapped while searching for gold in a flooded cave in central Laos were rescued after 10 days; two remain missing as divers press deeper.
A coordinated Laos cave rescue operation freed four more villagers on Saturday, bringing to five the number evacuated after the group became trapped by sudden flooding while looking for gold. The men, who had been cut off for roughly 10 days, were located on a rocky ledge inside the complex and were brought out after water levels fell enough to allow divers and the survivors to make sections of the exit on foot and by swim. Two members of the original party remain unaccounted for and rescuers said underwater teams will push further into the submerged passages to try to reach them.
Rescue teams confirm four additional evacuations
Rescue officials reported the extraction of four further men at about 3:10 p.m. local time on Saturday, following an initial evacuation on Friday that brought the first survivor to safety. Thai and Lao rescue groups, including specialist cave divers, participated in the operation that allowed the newly freed men to walk and swim out alongside their rescuers once conditions improved. Authorities said the five survivors were treated at the scene and transferred to medical facilities where their condition was described as stable but exhausted.
Survivors were found on a ledge 300 metres from the entrance
The group was located midweek, huddled together on a rocky shelf roughly 300 metres from the cave mouth, after search teams reached them through the flooded tunnels. Unable to extract them immediately, rescuers delivered food, water and blankets through the submerged passage to sustain the men while efforts continued to lower interior water levels. Local officials said an eighth villager had escaped earlier and raised the alarm, enabling teams to mount a sustained search operation that eventually pinpointed the trapped group.
International divers faced near-zero visibility and tight squeezes
Divers involved in the Laos cave rescue described treacherous conditions inside the cave, where visibility was almost nil and several sections were fully submerged. One passage was reported to be a 25-metre stretch so narrow that divers could not turn around, forcing precise, technical navigation and the use of specialised equipment. Teams from multiple countries joined local units to pool experience and resources, with professionals working in shifts to manage the risk of fatigue and equipment failure in the confined aquatic environment.
Search will advance 20 to 25 metres beyond the survivors for two missing men
Rescue coordinators said they planned to push about 20 to 25 metres further into the flooded system beyond the point where the five survivors had been found, targeting a section that remains heavily waterlogged. The two missing villagers are believed to be deeper inside the cave system and reaching them will require continued diving through submerged passages and possibly further reductions in water level. Officials cautioned the search would be hazardous and dependent on weather and water conditions, which can change rapidly in the mountainous province where the cave is located.
Images show exhausted men carried out and treated by medics
Photographs and video released by rescue groups depicted the evacuated men wrapped in emergency foil blankets, covered in mud and receiving oxygen as they were carried on stretchers. Footage captured moments of collapse and relief as survivors emerged from the cave and were embraced by rescuers and medical personnel. Rescuers said those taken out required immediate warming and hydration after prolonged exposure to cold, wet conditions, and that medical teams were monitoring them for complications related to hypothermia and stress.
Authorities warn of continued risks to local gold foragers
Local officials highlighted that residents of Xaisomboun province often enter remote caves and gullies to forage for gold and other minerals despite repeated warnings about flash flooding during the rainy season. The group is believed to have entered the cave around May 19 or 20 before heavy rains triggered sudden flooding that blocked their exit. Authorities reiterated appeals for caution and said they will increase outreach in isolated communities to discourage risky entry into cave systems during periods of high rainfall.
Rescue teams said operations will continue until the two remaining men are located or conditions force a temporary halt, and they urged patience as divers and support staff work methodically through dangerous submerged passages.
