Five of seven people trapped inside flooded cave in Laos found alive, say rescuers

Rescue workers inside a cave in Xaisomboun province of Laos on Tuesday. PIC/AFP

Five of the seven people trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos for a week were found alive on Wednesday, according to Laotian and Thai rescuers, news agency AFP reported.

The seven villagers from Laos had entered the cave in central Xaysomboun province, around 125 kilometres northeast of the capital Vientiane, on May 20, Laotian state media reported earlier this week.

The villagers had reportedly entered the cave in search of gold but became trapped after heavy rain triggered flash floods, blocking the exit route.

"We've found 5 people alive and all safe. There are still 2 people we are searching for," a Laotian volunteer rescue group said in a social media post.

"At 4:30 pm, we found our target. We found five people. We are looking for the other two," Thai rescuer Kengkach Bangkawong said in a Facebook post.

State media outlet Lao Economic Daily also confirmed that five people had been found alive.

Rescue teams battled flood waters, collapse risks and poor air quality

Earlier on Wednesday, specialist Finnish rescue diver Mikko Paasi had said rescuers were "racing against time" to extract the seven people from the cave, which he described as an "abandoned gold mine".

Rescuers needed to "navigate hundreds of meters (yards) of constant restrictions, flood waters, collapse hazards and high risk of contaminated air quality" inside the cave, Paasi said in a social media post.

According to him, the seven people "should be trapped in the terminal chamber" located around 300 metres from the cave exit.

He added that the group had entered the cave "with resources to stay sub-terrain for several days".

Paasi was among the rescuers involved in the dramatic 2018 operation to rescue a youth football team trapped inside a flooded cave in neighbouring Thailand.

The "Wild Boars" football team had spent nearly three weeks trapped by flash floods inside the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand.

Veteran Thai cave rescue specialists joined operations

Paasi and two Thai specialists who took part in the 2018 rescue operation arrived at the Laos cave on Monday.

The cave system, located in a remote area, stretches deep underground and contains multiple levels along with narrow passages.

Authorities and villagers have been working to pump water out of the cave, though rescue teams had earlier struggled to reach the trapped group, according to state media reports.

By Wednesday morning, the water level inside the cave had receded considerably, with rescuers continuing pumping operations, Lao Economic Daily reported.

Before rescue operations resumed on Wednesday, Laotian rescuers, local officials and villagers gathered outside the cave to perform a traditional spiritual ceremony, offering chickens and rice alcohol to sacred spirits believed to protect the mountain and rescuers, a rescue group said.

(With AFP inputs)