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First Man Rescued from Flooded Laos Cave
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Disasters & Emergencies

First Man Rescued from Flooded Laos Cave

From BBC News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • The first of five men found alive in a flooded Laotian cave has been rescued.
  • The group was trapped for over a week after flash floods hit on May 20 while they were hunting for gold.
  • International rescue divers have arrived to assist in the ongoing operation to save the remaining individuals and locate two others still missing.

Rescuers have successfully freed the first of five men discovered alive after being trapped for more than a week inside a flooded cave in Laos. The group had been hunting for gold when flash floods on May 20 cut off their escape route, leaving them stranded deep within the cavern.

Found huddled together 300 meters from the cave mouth on Wednesday, the five men appeared miserable and covered in mud, reporting chest pains and extreme hunger. The rescue operation in the remote mountain area of central Xaysomboun province has been a critical race against time, especially with thunderstorms predicted for Friday evening.

One person has got out of the cave safely.

— Kengkard BonggawongA Thai rescue team member provided an update on the rescue operation via social media.

Specialist divers from Thailand, Indonesia, France, and Australia have joined the effort, bringing additional expertise to the complex rescue. While the exact method of the first man's extraction has not yet been disclosed, rescuers confirmed his safe exit and stated they would provide further details later. Efforts continue to assess the condition of the other four survivors and to locate two additional men who remain missing.

We will assess the other four and we will hunt for the other two tomorrow.

— Kengkard BonggawongThe rescue team member outlined the next steps in the ongoing operation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by BBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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