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

A rescue mission is underway after five villagers from Laos, trapped in a cave for more than a week, as ITV News Lois Swinnerton Reports

Five of the seven people trapped in a flooded cave in Laos have been found alive by rescuers.

They were located by specialist cave divers on Wednesday but remain trapped in an underground cavern in Laos’ central Xaisomboun province, as rescuers continue searching for the two remaining missing people.

“5 people have been found safe. The search continues for the remaining 2,” Thai rescue diver Kengkad Bongkawong wrote on Facebook.

A Laotian rescue group, Rescue Volunteer for People, said that the five found were “alive and all safe”.

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who is a part of the rescue operation, wrote on Instagram: “The task so far has been far from easy and everybody involved has done amazing work.”

However, he added it was “only a brief relief,” as the survivors are still stuck in the cavern for now.

“All healthy and in good spirits, but the extraction is still ahead and it ain’t going to be easy,” he said.

Rescuers talk to Finnish rescue diver Mikko Paasi, centre. / Credit: AP

The task for him and another diver would now be to “dive straight back” and bring the residents more supplies so that they can regain their strength to prepare for the journey out, he said.

A video filmed by Mikko Paasi showed rescuers asking the residents for their names and whether they were suffering from illness.

The group said they were not sick, but felt weak and extremely hungry.

Those trapped will undergo medical assessments and be given liquid and gel food before a plan is made to bring them out safely, local authorities said.

The rescue operation is expected to be difficult.

According to the Metta Tham Kalasin Command and Control Centre, divers had to navigate a 340-metre tunnel to reach the group.

Some sections of the flooded cave are believed to be just 23 inches wide, forcing at least one rescuer to remove equipment to squeeze through.

GoPro footage showed rescuers reaching five of the seven trapped people, reassuring them by saying, “don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Rescuers said more than 100 people are involved in the rescue effort, including divers who took part in the 2018 rescue of a youth football team from a cave in Thailand.