Rescuers rejoiced as they found five of the seven men trapped in a Laos cave. But they caution a high-stakes extraction lies ahead, "and it ain't going to be easy".

There has been no official confirmation on why the villagers went into the cave, although the rescuers involved said that they went in to look for gold deposits.

Five villagers trapped in a flooded cave in central Laos for over a week have been found alive. Rescuers said Wednesday that two others are still missing.