See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAVID OLASEINDE Published: 11:37 BST, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 11:56 BST, 30 May 2026
Rescue workers in Laos said they have safely evacuated four remaining villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, a day after another one was successfully extracted.Laos and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and being wrapped in foil blankets.The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. Another villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven who were left behind. Two people remain unlocated.The group had been stuck in the cavern in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province since May 20, when flash floods stranded them as they searched for gold, early state media reports said. Five of the men were located alive on Wednesday, huddling in a narrow shaft around 984 feet from the cave mouth. Rescue workers in Laos said they have safely evacuated four remaining villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days Picture shows a rescue team (foreground) training people (background) trapped in a semi-submerged cave how to use diving equipment The group had been stuck in the cavern in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province since May 20In the footage filmed by the divers the men can be seen sat in a huddle on a dry ledge inside the cave with wide grins of relief. When the men were found, many complained of chest pains and hunger pangs, while the remaining two of their group remain unaccounted for. Rescue efforts had focused on pumping out the monsoon floodwaters that trapped the men.Earlier yesterday, Thai rescue teams were rehearsing extraction procedures outside the cave with stretchers, ropes and cables, according to images shared on social media.Laos's meteorology office forecasted thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and evening, with rainfall expected across 60 per cent of Xaysomboun province.Meanwhile, a new team of specialist divers touched down in Laos on Friday, including members from Thailand, France, Indonesia and Australia, according to Thai rescuers. The first of seven men trapped for over a week in a flooded cave in Laos was freed yesterday This image released by Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, shows rescue workers gathering in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, LaosInternational diving teams, including some who worked on the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018, have battled for days to retrieve the men. Reaching them required skilled divers to crawl and twist through incredibly narrow passageways, moving through muddy water with poor visibility. Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, part of the team that saved the 'Wild Boars' football team in Thailand, said on Wednesday that rescuers were 'racing against time' inside the cave. Laos's local media reported several rescue workers had shown signs of exhaustion after spending seven to 10 hours at a time inside the cave system carrying oxygen tanks, rescue equipment and supplies.
