Five Rescued Alive From Flooded Laos Cave, Search Continues for Two

KATHMANDU. Rescuers on Wednesday found five of the seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos alive. This incident is reminiscent of the dramatic rescue of a teenage football team trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018. Expert cave divers located them inside an underground cave in the central Laotian province of Saysomboun. The rescue team is still searching for the remaining two. Thai rescue diver Kengkad Bongkawong wrote on Facebook at 4:30 PM local time, '5 people have been found safe. The search for the remaining 2 is ongoing.' The Laotian rescue group 'Rescue Volunteer for People' also stated that all five found are 'alive and safe.' Social media footage shows rescuers working above ground jumping for joy, hugging each other, and crying emotionally after hearing the news that five people were found alive. Finnish diver Miko Pasi, involved in the rescue operation, expressed happiness on Instagram for finding the five, saying, 'The work so far has been very difficult and everyone involved has done a wonderful job.' However, he stated that this is only 'relief for the moment,' as the rescued individuals are still trapped inside the cave. 'Everyone is healthy and excited, but the work of getting them out is still remaining and it will not be easy,' he said. According to him, he and another diver will re-enter the cave to provide more food and necessary supplies to the trapped individuals so they can gather strength for the difficult journey out. In a video shot by Pasi, rescuers are seen asking the villagers their names and checking if they are sick. The villagers said they are not sick but are very weak and hungry. In the video of the moment rescuers met them, they can be heard comforting them, saying 'Don't cry, don't cry!' Bongkawong told CNN that after the trapped individuals were found, they would be medically examined and provided with liquid and semi-liquid food. He added that a plan would then be made on how to safely bring them out. The rescue operation is expected to be very challenging. The rescue team had to navigate a tunnel approximately 340 meters long to reach the trapped individuals. According to the 'Metta Tham Kala Sin Command and Control Center' coordinating the rescue, some parts of the tunnel are extremely narrow, with a width of only about 23 inches. According to one rescuer, he had to remove his equipment to move forward in some places. Video shot by a GoPro camera shows the rescue team successfully reaching the five individuals. All seven villagers are men, and they entered the cave last Wednesday to search for gold. However, the exit route of the cave was blocked by a flash flood after heavy rainfall, Bongkawong said. The rescue operation was launched amidst adverse weather and deteriorating conditions. According to the state-run Lao News Agency, they may be trapped in a 'high rocky area with continuous airflow' inside the cave. Earlier, rescuers had stated that more than 100 people were involved in the rescue operation. Among them, 15 experienced divers and specialists were also involved in the rescue of the teenage football team in Thailand in 2018.