in briefSeven people have been trapped in a cave in Laos' central Xaisomboun province since 20 May.A rescue team involved in the 2018 Thai cave rescue that captured global attention is on the scene.A major international operation is underway in Laos to rescue seven people trapped inside a flooded cave in scenes reminiscent of a 2018 rescue in Thailand.A rescue team led by local officials is being supported by experts from Thailand and a diver from Finland, both of whom were involved in the 2018 Thai cave rescue that captivated global audiences.Seven local Laoations entered the cave in the central Xaisomboun province on 20 May but got trapped by a landslide triggered by heavy rain, according to a local rescue group and the state-run Lao Phattana News.Operations on the ground are now in their seventh day and are getting close to reaching the trapped people, the head of the effort has said. Support volunteers from the Thai Metta Tham Rescue Foundation joined the task on Sunday and reported significant progress towards reaching the chamber where the group are trapped. Heavy rain caused flash flooding and a landslide, blocking the subterranean entrance to the cave. Source: AAP / Kengkart Bengkawong"I believe our success is not far away," Kengkard Bongkawong, operational head of Metta Tham, said in a social media post on Monday.Roughly 15m of rubble and obstacles trapping the group have been cleared in the last 24 hours.The local effort is being led by the Laos Rescue Volunteer for People, which said the trapped group entered the cave in search of gold, though this has not been officially confirmed.The cave is a local favourite among amateur prospectors in search of the rare metal, Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao rescue group told the Associated Press, and regional authorities have previously warned people not to enter it due to the safety risks.An eighth member of the group managed to escape the initial flood and alert authorities to the incident. Thai cave rescue echoesIn 2018, the Wild Boars youth football team became trapped in a flooded mountain cave in Thailand, which saw international experts fly in to assist in their rescue. US military personnel, Thai Navy SEALs, and a group of amateur British cave divers gathered in the Chiang Rai province to free the team after a gruelling 17-day mission.Norrased "Ben" Palasing, a highly experienced Thai cave-diving specialist, was part of that operation and is currently on the ground in Laos. Mikko Paasi, a Finnish-born cave diver based in Thailand who was also part of the operation, is assisting in Laos as well.The rescue of the 12 young boys and their football coach was assisted by at least 20 Australians, nine of whom were honoured with bravery awards by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. The incident spawned three major feature films, three major documentaries, and a high-profile miniseries. Flooded, narrow, dangerousThe site is in a remote area in Xaisomboun province's Longcheng district, about 120km north of the capital, Vientiane.Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain hampering the operation.Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave's entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 4km.The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person to climb through at a time.Inside, rescuers must go through muddy passageways, flooded sections and narrow tunnels that forced them to crawl forward.Footage posted on the Facebook page of Lao Phattana News showed rescuers in helmets crawling through tight spaces under torchlight, gasping for breath, and others wading slowly through muddy, chest-high waters deep into the cave.Kengkard has said that the team will continue to pump water day and night from the flooded cave after they managed to break through sand and gravel to inch their way closer to an underwater shaft they believe will lead them to the trapped miners.He said a survey of the area above the cave found four shafts which could potentially connect to the cave system and provide an additional route for the rescue. According to rescuers, divers have navigated about 100 metres into the flooded, narrow cave."We estimate that less than 20 metres remain before we reach the key target area," he said.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.