Rescue workers in Laos have successfully evacuated four villagers from a cave flooded for 10 days. The operation followed the extraction of another villager the previous day, though two individuals remain unaccounted for.
Photos shared by Lao and Thai rescue teams on social media show the rescued individuals lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks, and wrapped in thermal blankets. The group had entered the cave the week before in search of valuable minerals but became trapped due to flash floods.
A villager who escaped initially alerted authorities about the seven individuals still inside. The rescue effort was aided by a reduced water level within the cave, allowing divers to accompany the villagers as they exited. A video post by Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtang depicted the evacuation process, with the men emerging covered in mud before being embraced by jubilant rescuers.
The first villager rescued on Friday was brought out in a 30-minute operation, based on information from rescuers. Videos capture his moment of emergence alongside a diver, visibly struggling through a narrow, water-filled path before standing up unsteadily.
The five rescued individuals, identified as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen, were found alive on Wednesday. Rescue efforts were supported by teams from Laos, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, and Australia, who traveled to the Xaisomboun province, 120 kilometers north of Vientiane.
Preparations are underway to search for the two missing villagers. Kengkaj Bongkawong, leading the Thai rescue group, indicated plans to explore deeper sections of the cave, although caution is urged given the area’s severe flooding.
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