Ten days of nightmare underground: five men trapped in flooded Laos cave rescued; two others still missing

A dramatic rescue operation in Laos has successfully freed five men who were trapped for ten days in a partially flooded cave. The survivors were brought to the surface on Friday and Saturday, following a challenging operation by Thai rescue divers. The first survivor was extracted on Friday, with four more following on Saturday after water levels were reduced through continuous pumping.

The group of seven men became trapped on May 20 when a flash flood surprised them inside the cave, located in an isolated mountainous region of Xaysomboun province. They were reportedly searching for gold when the disaster struck. The five rescued men were located alive on Wednesday in a shaft approximately 300 meters from the cave entrance.

Despite the successful rescue of five individuals, two other members of the group are still missing. Rescue teams continue their search efforts for the remaining two men. This incident echoes the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand, where 12 boys and their football coach were evacuated after being trapped for 18 days.

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The operation was possible after the water level dropped due to continuous pumping.