Seven trapped in flooded Laos cave as rescue teams race time

[Coss]

A rescue mission in Laos has entered its fifth day after seven villagers were trapped in a flooded cave, with Thai rescuers ready to assist.

A rescue operation to reach seven villagers trapped inside a cave in Laos has entered its fifth day after heavy rain triggered flash flooding and blocked the cave’s entrance.

The incident took place in Long Chaeng district, Xaisomboun province, where the group had reportedly entered the cave to search for gold ore and hunt wild animals for subsistence. An eighth person managed to escape and alert local authorities.

Thai rescue teams are now preparing to cross the border to support the mission, while Lao authorities continue efforts to pump water from the cave amid persistent rain.

According to FM91, citing the CIA Thailand Facebook page, a report from the provincial situation committee said the incident began during the day on May 20, when eight villagers left their village for an area about one kilometre away.

The group had gone there to search for gold ore and hunt wild animals, an activity they reportedly carried out as part of their livelihood.

They later entered a cave more than 100 metres deep. The entrance is narrow, with a steep passage leading down through several levels. Inside, the cave opens into multi-level chambers, each separated by about 10 to 20 metres, with rocks and hazardous terrain throughout.

Survivor recalls swimming through rising water

The eighth villager, who managed to escape, said he had reached the fourth level of the cave, about 40 to 50 metres from the entrance, when he noticed heavy rain continuing outside.

Large volumes of water then began pouring rapidly into the cave, quickly turning the situation critical. He said he decided to swim and climb back towards the entrance in order to survive.

The other seven members of the group remained trapped inside. It is still unclear how deep they had gone into the cave before the floodwater blocked their way out.

After escaping, the survivor immediately informed local leaders and authorities, prompting an urgent rescue response.

Initial assessments found that the site is a confined-space environment with severe risks. Rescuers face rising water levels, strong currents, narrow passages and possible oxygen limitations.

These factors mean the operation requires specialist equipment and personnel trained in confined-space and cave rescue work.

Lao authorities have mobilised administrative officials, soldiers, police, medical personnel and local residents to assist with the operation. Water pumps have been installed to drain the cave continuously, but rainfall in the area has slowed progress.

Thai rescue teams ready to assist

The Association of Volunteers for Lao People has formally requested support from Thai rescue teams, seeking confined-space rescue specialists and key equipment, including water pumps, generators and life-detection equipment.

Thai rescue networks have responded by preparing teams and equipment, including cave rescue divers, air-system equipment and search tools. They are expected to join the operation once coordination and border-crossing procedures are completed.

The Thai Rescue Diver Facebook page later reported that Thai rescue teams remained on standby after being informed that a team from China was already involved in the rescue effort.

The mission remains a race against time, with hopes still focused on bringing all seven trapped villagers out safely.

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[Coss]

Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organisation 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 are still missing, and the search for them will continue. LINK

[bust]

Hopefully all make it out safely. I see there was a similar incident in the Maldives recently involving scuba divers. Different scenario but still as frightening.

I still think the soccer player rescue in Chiang Rai was one of the most remarkable events I an remember.

[Coss]

In my youth, my mate and I would scuba weekly and snorkel just as often, 20m on breath hold was easy, we'd be crayfishing and spearfishing.  Only gave it up when the first child turned up.

These days he, (Medical Specialist), still bicycles and dives, fit bugger, 65 yrs old.

Me, I'll do a bit of sub 10m snorkeling, but my wastrel ways have ruined my heart and lungs for those scuba trips.

I've read that the divers in the Maldives were all experienced and cave divers, so they should have been alright, but then, cave diving, no thanks.

[Old Hippie]

15 minutes ago, Coss said:

In my youth, my mate and I would scuba weekly and snorkel just as often, 20m on breath hold was easy, we'd be crayfishing and spearfishing.  Only gave it up when the first child turned up.

These days he, (Medical Specialist), still bicycles and dives, fit bugger, 65 yrs old.

Me, I'll do a bit of sub 10m snorkeling, but my wastrel ways have ruined my heart and lungs for those scuba trips.

I've read that the divers in the Maldives were all experienced and cave divers, so they should have been alright, but then, cave diving, no thanks.

I still scuba and free dive Wherever a when ever I can. Monterey California is a favorite, but since the second knee replacement, I think Beach diving is going to have to wait, walking with tanks and weights isn’t the best thing right now… Boat diving is still an option.  Free diving up North, was a better time when we could take abalone. However, ocean conditions and poaching have really reduced numbers and the season is now closed from the Canadian border to the Mexican border… many blame poor ocean management by the fish and game department, but who knows..? Lobster diving and dip netting down south is still on!

[bust]

Never scuba dived. Snorkeled and muff dives quiet a bit over the years. My first encounter with a Noah's Ark was while snorkeling.

[bust]

Cave diver reveals how missing Laos group was found as South Australian joins rescue efforts

A Finnish diver at the centre of the effort to rescue a group of men who have been trapped in a Laos cave for more than a week has described the "emotional moment" when he found them alive.

A South Australian diver is going to land in the country on Friday morning to help out, and says he was called in because of his small stature and ability to squeeze into tight spaces.

What's next?

Both divers say the rescue mission will be difficult and dangerous, and are hoping that efforts to pump water out so that the men can crawl out will negate the need for diving.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-28/diver-on-laos-cave-mission-as-australian-joins-rescue-team/106733676

[bust]

First of five survivors rescued from flooded Laos cave

In short:

One survivor has been safely guided out of a remote cave in Laos after a group of villagers became trapped by flash flooding more than a week ago.

Five of the villagers were found huddled together in a pitch-black chamber above the murky waters on Wednesday.

What's next?

Rescuers on a multinational team have suspended the complex operation to free the other four known survivors until Saturday, while two more people are still missing.

Rescue divers in Laos have safely evacuated the first of five local villagers who had been trapped in a cave for more than a week by floodwaters.

Laotian and Thai rescue workers posted the news on social media on Friday, along with a video showing the first rescued villager with a lamp strapped to his forehead. 

One survivor, who was not immediately identified by name, was safely guided out of a remote cave in Laos. (AP Photo: Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin)

The villager, who was not immediately identified, was walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men. 

The five found alive by divers on Wednesday were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen. Another two people are still missing.

Evacuations of the four known survivors were suspended until today because they were not ready, said Chakkit Taengtang of Sai Than Association, one of the Thai rescue organisation at the scene.

Josh Richards, an Australian diver who joined the rescue efforts on Friday, told the ABC the operation was "incredibly challenging" because of the claustrophobic conditions.

The rescued villager was walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men.  (AP Photo: Association of Volunteers for Lao People)

Rescue teams had pumped water out of the flooded cave's passages yesterday, but a morning rainstorm complicated their work. 

The trapped men have already been supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm. They were reportedly in good health but exhausted from dehydration and lack of food.

Mr Richards said the villagers entered the cave last week to look for gold before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. 

Rescuers stand under torchlight near the entrance of the cave. (Supplied: Josh Richards)

"They went in well-prepared, they had the right equipment on. They had food, they had water," he said.

"What was unexpected is the flooding that's occurred. This particular cave is very responsive to rain and there's been rain while they've been in there. And all of a sudden the floodwaters have come straight up."

One other villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind.

Thai rescue diver Norrased Palasing spoke with a trapped villager named Khamla, who urged the divers to let the group attempt to swim out immediately.

"I can't go on. I don't have any strength,"

he said.

Mr Palasing sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food. He cautioned Khamla to eat slowly to avoid digestive problems.

An 'incredibly challenging' operation

Rescue teams from Laos and neighbouring Thailand were joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues. 

Indonesian and French specialists have also been reported to be heading to the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometres north of the capital, Vientiane.

Mr Richards said they had to make their way through twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls. 

"When you do finally reach the water, there is absolutely zero visibility because it's essentially like diving in coffee," he said.

"It's pretty horrendous. Most of the passages are barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through flat. And in a lot of places you're twisting around in order to get through."

Rescue teams had pumped water out of the flooded cave's passages, but a rainstorm complicated their work.  (AP Photo: Association of Volunteers for Lao People)

Mr Richards said while the search for the other two men would continue, rescue efforts were currently focused on the four known survivors. 

"This is an incredibly challenging cave and the search is very, very difficult," he said.

"In a lot of cases, you're squeezing through places using your tippy toes, you're pulling yourself forward with your fingertips and you're pushing yourself ahead with your toes."

[bust]

The remaining four men found trapped in a semi-submerged cave in central Laos after 10 days underground have emerged safely, sparking emotional scenes at the rescue site.

The four villagers crawled out of the cave just after 3pm local time, after water levels were able to be drained from the cave's flooded sections.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-30/laos-cave-villagers-last-four-exit-cave-assistance-divers/106741292

[bust]

Rescuers halt search for two last men lost in Laos cave

An international team of rescuers managed to rescue five of the men who had become trapped on May 19. Supplied: Josh Richards (Supplied: Josh Richards)

In short: 

Rescuers have postponed their search for two men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos as the site becomes unstable and conditions worsen.

An international team, including an Australian cave diving specialist, helped rescue five of the seven miners who became trapped on May 20. 

What's next?

Efforts would focus on pumping water from the cave system, but rescuers said they needed a "miracle" with more rain forecast for the region.

Rescuers called off their search on Saturday local time, for two men who became trapped in a semi-submerged cave in Laos more than two weeks ago, after the site became unstable and survival hopes faded.

Thai rescue teams said the focus would now shift to pumping the area to reduce water levels, but needed a "miracle" to face more rain forecast for the region.

An international rescue effort

Seven villagers became trapped in the cave in Xaysomboun province in central Laos on May 20 when flash floods blocked their exit as they hunted bats for food and searched for gold in old mining areas, state media said. 

Rescue teams located five of the men alive a week later, extracting one diver on May 29 and guided out four men the following day after water was pumped from the flooded cavern.

A man hugs one of the freed villagers at the mouth of a cave in central Laos, after they emerged to safety on May 30. (Supplied: Chakkit Taengtang)

Two miners remained missing despite intensive searching by Laos and international rescue teams.

The five survivors were discovered huddled in a narrow passage around 300 metres from the cave's entrance, and said the two missing men had entered the site separately.

Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian cave diver, told media the rescue operation was at an "end" as the risks of continuing the search outweighed the slim chances of the men's rescue.

"We were so close," Lee said. "The water in the cave was already manageable, but the cave entrance started to become unstable."

"To continue the operation is high risk," he added. 

"They will continue to manage the water by pumping and digging at possible resurgence points to let the water flow out faster. Perhaps a miracle will happen,

"Everyone tried. We tried. I am sorry for the family." said Lee.

Lee described the mission as the most dangerous rescue operation he had experienced, facing flooding, unstable cave structures, tight restrictions and poor air quality.

By Friday, key cave specialists, including Australian diver Josh Richards, had already left the site.

South Australian diver Josh Richards describes how the four Laotian villagers managed to emerge from the cave.

Worsening weather forecast

Thai lead rescuer Kengkad Bongkawong said in a social media post on Saturday, no one was allowed inside the cave due to the risks associated, but water pumping operations would persist outside.

"Even though we don't know the current condition of those two individuals, reducing the water level inside the cave is the best approach right now," Mr Bongkawong said.

"There are still food rations and survival supplies that we have placed at various points inside the cave. If miracles exist, I believe their expertise will guide them out safely."

Mr Bongkawong had earlier said rising rain water levels had reduced the vertical space inside the cave to around 30 centimetres — half what rescuers worked in during the operation's earlier phases.

"From today onwards, the rain will become progressively heavier," he warned in his Saturday post.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-06/rescuers-halt-search-for-two-last-men-lost-in-laos-cave/106768438