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Cave rescue experts from Thailand who aided the dramatic 2018 retrieval of a youth football team joined efforts Monday to extract seven people trapped in a flooded cave for five days in neighbouring Laos, Laotian state media said.
Seven Laotian villagers entered the cave in central Xaysomboun province, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of the capital Vientiane, on May 20, state-run Laophattana News said.
They were searching for gold but were trapped inside the cave after heavy rain triggered flash flooding, blocking their exit, it added.
Authorities and villagers have been working to pump water out of the cave, but rescue teams have not been able to reach the group.
