By Laura Sharman, Kocha Olarn, June Jeong, Angie Puranasamriddhi, CNN
Five of the seven missing villagers were found alive by rescue workers on May 27 in Xaisomboun Province, Laos.
Hope has returned for the five trapped men deep inside a flooded Laos cave. For more than a week, they huddled together above the murky waters in the pitch black, more than 260 meters from the cave's entrance, wondering if anyone would ever find them.
On Wednesday, after days of hunger, salvation finally came as rescuers emerged from the darkness, illuminating the narrow rocky cavern with their headlamps.
"There are people here to help now," said Norased Palasing, a Thai specialist cave diver and one of the multi-national rescue team involved in what has become a heart-stopping race against time.
