Five villagers found alive in Laos cave as search continues for two missing

Seven people entered a cave in Xaisomboun province on 19 May, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped them. Rescue teams from Laos and Thailand worked for more than a week in rugged, remote terrain. Five trapped villagers were found safe and alive, while two others were still missing. Divers emerged from the water after locating the group, and videos showed villagers sitting on a rock surrounded by flood water. Rescuers cheered and hugged after the discovery. Thai rescuers arrived over the weekend, including divers with experience from the 2018 northern Thailand cave rescue. The cave entrance required a steep 4-kilometre hike, and mountainous conditions and heavy rain hampered operations.

"The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on 19 May, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation. Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organisation 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 for them will continue."

"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 flood water. Other videos showed rescuers inside and outside the cave cheering, jumping around and hugging each other in joy after the discovery."

"Rescue teams from a wide area, including Thailand, have helped with the search. Rescue workers from neighbouring Thailand arrived at the site over the weekend. Those helping out include divers from several nations 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."

"Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that have hampered their work. Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave's entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 4 kilometres (2.5 miles). The cave is located in a rugged, remote area in Xaisomboun province's Longcheng district, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane."

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