Five villagers trapped for more than a week inside a flooded cave in Laos have been found alive, according to CNN. Now begins the more dangerous part of the operation: getting them out alive.
The group entered the cave system in Xaisomboun province in search of gold when a heavy rainstorm triggered a flash flood, sealing off the exit with water, mud, gravel, and debris. Rescue divers reached the five survivors on Wednesday afternoon as the men were huddled together in a chamber about 300 meters from the entrance, some with their headlamps still fully functioning, so at least they had some light.
The survivors told their rescuers that they were weak and starving but otherwise not seriously hurt. Two others remain missing, however, somewhere deeper inside the cave
If all this sounds familiar to you, you might be thinking of the 2018 Thai cave rescue, which was a months-long media obsession. It’s an operation worth mentioning, since several international divers involved in that rescue mission are now assisting in Laos, including Finnish cave diver Mikko Paasi and members of Thailand’s Metta Tham Rescue organization.
Five Men Were Found Alive After More Than a Week Trapped in a Flooded Cave
This particular cave dive is especially brutal. Divers described tunnels so narrow they had to remove their equipment just to squeeze through. Some sections reportedly measure barely 23 inches wide. Rescue crews that battle through low oxygen levels and toxic hydrogen sulfide gas inside the cave.
Thus far, more than 100 rescuers have been involved in the effort to rescue the prospective gold miners, all of whom have been hauling equipment through dangerous, rocky terrain and near-constant rain, while pumping water out from multiple points around the cave. Officials conducting the rescue say that performing a traditional diving rescue is probably too dangerous, so the teams are trying to lower the water level as much as possible so the trapped men can crawl out.
Even then, things are going to be difficult, as the rescuers say they urgently need more oxygen tanks and a specialized structure that can fit through some of the cave system’s cramped tunnels.
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