NewsWorld newsMissing personsRescue teams have found five villagers who were stuck in a cave in Xaisomboun province, central Laos, following flash flooding, but two more people are missing11:35, 27 May 2026Updated 11:48, 27 May 2026Five villagers stuck in a flooded cave in Laos for more than a week have been found alive - but two others are still missing.‌The people entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.‌Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organization 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 will continue for them.‌"I'm still shaking. Our team made it happen," he said in a voice message.READ MORE: EasyJet warning ahead of major national transport strike starting tomorrowREAD MORE: UK railway company plunges into liquidation after struggling with debtA 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 floodwater.‌It had previously posted on its Facebook page that Tuesday’s operation plan included exploring air shafts above the cave in hopes of identifying possible access points and locating the trapped people.Rescue workers from neighbouring Thailand arrived at the site over the weekend to assist the operation. Those helping out include divers from several countries 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.During the search, divers had navigated about 100m into the flooded, narrow cave and at that stage said they believed the trapped villagers were a further 30m further. They were working to pump water out of the cave to aid the rescue operation.Article continues belowThe site is in a rugged, remote area in Xaisomboun province’s Longcheng district, which is about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane. Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that is hampering their work.Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave’s entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 2.5 miles. The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person at a time to climb through. Inside, rescuers have had to make their way through muddy passageways, flooded sections and narrow tunnels that forced them to crawl.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌LaosMissing personsBreaking News