Seven people have been trapped for five days inside a remote, flooded cave in central Laos after heavy rain caused landslides that blocked the entrance. A Thai rescue team entered the cave in Xaysomboun province to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, and footage shows rescuers crawling and climbing through dark, narrow passages with muddy water. A tunnel leading into the cave is reported to be only 60 cm tall. Experts outside focus on pumping water, while those inside fit ropes for rescuers to follow. Rescuers have not received signs of life but believe the men are alive because a survivor reported a deeper location above water level.
"Divers who helped in the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018 have joined efforts to free seven people who have been trapped for five days inside a remote, flooded cave in central Laos. The group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province on Wednesday to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, reports suggest. Heavy rain led to landslides, which blocked the cave entrance."
"Footage released by Thai volunteer rescue groups who have travelled to the site showed personnel crawling and climbing through dark, narrow passageways, parts of which were almost completely inundated with muddy waters. Rescuers said a tunnel leading into the cave was only 60cm tall. Experts outside the cave were focused on pumping water out of the passageways, while those inside were fitting rope for rescuers to follow, said Kengkard Bongkawong, the head of operations for Metta Tham Rescue, a Thai rescue group."
"The route is not complicated but the problem is the space. It's so narrow that we have to crawl and tilt to pass through; also the rocks are really sharp, Kengkard said. Rescue team enters flooded cave in Laos in effort to free seven people video He said rescuers had not received any signs of life but he believed the men were still alive, as a survivor who managed to escape had informed them of a location deeper inside the cave that was above water level."
"I'm confident that they are still alive because there is still air in the cave, said Kengkard, who was part of the diving team in the Tham Luang cave rescue, when 12 young footballers and their coach were brought to safety after more than two weeks in a flooded cave in Thailand's Chiang Rai province. Rescuers managed to reach a location 40 metres away from the area where they suspected the group may be sheltering but were unable to continue on Sunday night as persistent rains had brought sediment into the passageways."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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