Rescuers free four men who remained trapped in a flooded Laos cave

Rescuers in Laos said Saturday they have safely evacuated four remaining villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, a day after another was successfully dug out.

Lao and Thai rescue groups reported the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and wrapped in foil blankets.

The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to search for valuable minerals before they were trapped by flash floods that blocked their way out. Another villager escaped in time and alerted authorities to the seven stragglers. Two people have still not been located.

The first survivor emerged safely

It took about 30 minutes to evacuate the first survivor from the cave on Friday, rescuers said.

Video footage showed the moment he emerged from the water with a diver, caught his breath before struggling to get through a narrow, flooded passage and unsteadily to his feet.

As rescuers helped him out of the tunnel, others were heard warning to be careful because his hands were injured. He was then wrapped in a foil blanket and helped into a sitting position.

Another video showed the man leaving the cave entrance with a lamp on his forehead. He walked unsteadily with the help of two men, who handed him to other team members amid a waiting crowd.

The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to search for valuable minerals before they were trapped by flash floods that blocked their way out. Another villager escaped in time and alerted authorities to the seven stragglers.

Five of them were found alive on Wednesday. They were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen. It is unclear which of them was evacuated on Friday.

The men were provided with water, soft food and foil blankets to keep them warm, although videos recorded inside the cave suggested their conditions continued to deteriorate.

Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand were joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues. Indonesian, French and Australian specialists also reportedly arrived at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers north of the capital Vientiane.

Several of them had taken part in the complicated cave rescue in northern Thailand in 2018 of twelve schoolboys and their football coach.

More risky tasks await rescuers

In a video recorded on Friday, about an hour before the evacuation of the first man began, Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong of the Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin described the challenge they face during the operation.

The team set up a station in a large chamber within the cave, accessible only through more than 200 meters of winding, narrow, flooded passageways with jagged walls. From there, divers must dive about 100 feet through a flooded tunnel before reaching the trapped men.

“To dive in a cave there are problems with temperature, narrow areas, control of movements and controlling the panic of the survivor, which will be difficult, but we have to do it,” Kengkaj said.

There is significant risk to the team as they guide survivors without diving skills through water without visibility.

A video showed Thai diver Norrased and Finnish diver Mikko Paasi teaching the men how to use diving equipment, including underwater breathing techniques.

“Breathe only through your mouth the entire time. Never breathe with your nose, understand?’ Norrased said during the session.

Rescuers are also preparing to search for the two villagers who are still missing.

Kengkaj said the team plans to explore an area deeper in the cave, about 20 to 25 meters beyond where the survivors were found. However, he warned that the section is heavily flooded.

“That area has a lot of water. The water goes there because it’s even deeper than this spot,” he said.