5 villagers stuck in a flooded cave for more than a week found alive in Laos, rescuers say


Five villagers stuck inside a flooded cave for more than a week have been found alive, officials said, sparking jubilant scenes around the site in Laos.

Two people are still missing from the group that entered the cave on May 19 in the central Xaisomboun province, north of the capital Vientiane, before heavy rain and flash flooding blocked the entrance.

On Wednesday, one of the groups coordinating the search, Metta Tham Kalasin (MTK) Command and Control Center, posted a video that appeared to show the moment rescuers made the discovery. The footage, seen through the screen of a small body camera-type device, showed people wearing head torches huddled on a rock to stay out of the muddy water below.

Another video showed a group of people above ground, some of them wearing MTK t-shirts, exchanging hugs and punching the air, some of them falling to their knees and wiping away tears on hearing the news.

Rescuers in Laos try to reach people trapped in flooded cave

00:0000:00

Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organization Rescue Volunteer for People, which has been working closely with local authorities in the rescue efforts, told The Associated Press that five people were found safe and alive but two more were still missing, and the search will continue for them.

“I’m still shaking. Our team made it happen,” he said in a voice message to the news agency.

The cave is a narrow chamber often visited by villagers searching for gold deposits, Bounkham had previously told the AP. He said that authorities had repeatedly warned people against entering the cave out of safety concerns.

State-run Lao National Radio reported that Thai rescuers arrived at the site on Sunday for assistance. Divers have since begun navigating flooded sections of the cave toward the area where they believe the group may be trapped.

Those helping out include divers who took part in the dramatic 2018 rescue of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach who were trapped for weeks in a Thai cave.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Eastern Canadian premiers renew pleas to buy local amid trade war with United States

    New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt speaks to reporters with fellow premiers at a press conference closing the Council of the Federation meetings in Charlottetown on Wednesday July 22, 2026. THE…

    Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

    TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: WestJet flight attendants A weeklong contract ratification vote by flight attendants at…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Humanoid Robots Have Beaten Usain Bolt’s 100-Meter Dash Record

    Humanoid Robots Have Beaten Usain Bolt’s 100-Meter Dash Record

    The banker who found freedom in a Dodge van, and other extraordinary lives we’ve lost

    The banker who found freedom in a Dodge van, and other extraordinary lives we’ve lost

    ‘We didn’t have layoffs before, and now all of a sudden we have yearly layoffs’: Bethesda artist says ‘something has changed’ under Microsoft

    ‘We didn’t have layoffs before, and now all of a sudden we have yearly layoffs’: Bethesda artist says ‘something has changed’ under Microsoft

    Minister Sidhu meets with Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

    Eastern Canadian premiers renew pleas to buy local amid trade war with United States

    Eastern Canadian premiers renew pleas to buy local amid trade war with United States

    Why Are There So Many Fast Charging Standards, And What’s The Difference Between Them?

    Why Are There So Many Fast Charging Standards, And What’s The Difference Between Them?