First of trapped men rescued from flooded Laos cave

Seven men were trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for more than a week. Divers conducted a high-risk rescue by crawling through narrow, waterlogged tunnels while avoiding sharp rocks and collapse hazards. Four men were found crouched and huddled on a rocky ledge about 300 metres from the entrance, while two men were still unlocated. The first man was retrieved and brought out covered in mud, cheered by rescuers, and wrapped in an emergency blanket. Teams worked to pump water out to reduce flooding risk from incoming rains. Divers faced unstable clay and mud walls that clouded visibility, requiring careful navigation through muddy, low-visibility water. A backup plan involved using scuba equipment if pumping failed.

"The first of seven men who have been trapped in a flooded cave in Laos for more than a week has been brought to safety by divers, in a perilous rescue mission that has required teams to crawl through narrow, deluged tunnels, navigating sharp rocks and collapse hazards. Four men remain inside a chamber about 300 metres (980ft) from the cave entrance, where they were found crouched and huddled together on a rocky ledge by rescuers on Wednesday. Two men are yet to be located."

"International diving teams, including some who worked on the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018, have battled for days to retrieve the men. Reaching them required skilled divers to crawl and twist through incredibly narrow passageways, moving through muddy water with poor visibility. Video posted on social media showed a man covered in mud clambering out of the cave to safety. He was met with some cheers and wrapped in an emergency blanket."

"Rescuers have been racing against time to pump water out from the cave, fearing that rains could soon begin again, further inundating the tunnels. Josh Richards, an Australian cave diver who is part of the international team, described the conditions the team were battling against, including unstable clay and mud walls, which affected the water, meaning you're essentially diving in coffee. You're not going to be seeing anything through it."

"As sections of the tunnel between the miners and the surface were completely flooded, the team on the ground was trying to pump out as much water as possible in a two-pronged approach, Richards said. The plan had been that if they were not able to pump the water out then they would use scuba equipment to rescue the men."

Read at www.theguardian.com