After 9 Days Trapped... First Rescue from Flooded Laos Cave

Rescue Team Preparing to Save Remaining 4 Survivors

Search Continues for 2 Missing Residents

One of the seven male residents who had been trapped for nine days in a cave flooded by heavy rain in Laos has been rescued for the first time.

According to reports from the Associated Press and others on May 30 (local time), rescue teams from Laos and Thailand posted photos and videos on social media showing that, the previous night, they had safely rescued one of the five survivors inside the cave.

The streets of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The article content and the photo are unrelated. Photo by The Asia Business Daily Database

The resident, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, was escorted out by rescuers, staggering as he walked, before being taken for a medical examination. The rescuers reported that it took about 37 minutes to move the man through the narrow cave passageways to a safe location.

Previously, around May 20, seven local residents entered a cave in the Longxay area of Xaysomboun Province, central Laos, and became trapped when the exit was submerged due to heavy rain.

On May 27, rescue divers discovered five of them alive and gathered together about 300 meters from the cave entrance. While their overall health was generally good, their physical strength had greatly declined due to dehydration and a lack of food. The remaining two residents are still being searched for by the rescue team.

According to Thai rescue diver Noraset Palasing, among the five survivors, a resident named Kamla pleaded with him, saying, "I can't go any further. I have no strength left," and urgently requested to be taken out immediately. Another survivor, Mued, said in a video filmed by Noraset, "Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'm still strong and healthy. I'll be home tomorrow. I love you, Mom and Dad."

The rescue team is providing drinking water, soft food, and thermal blankets to help the survivors regain their strength and is preparing for further rescues. They are focusing on pumping water out of the cave to secure a safe passage for the survivors, but heavy rain that fell again the previous morning has disrupted the operation. As a result, in a situation where the survivors can only escape by diving through flooded passages, the rescue team is also considering teaching the survivors swimming and scuba diving techniques to facilitate their escape.

However, it has been reported that several rescuers, who have spent 7 to 10 hours at a time inside the cave carrying oxygen tanks, rescue equipment, and supplies for the survivors, are also suffering from exhaustion.

Thai rescuer Kaengkad Bongkaew posted on Facebook, "One person has come out of the cave safely," adding, "We will check the condition of the remaining four survivors and plan to search for the other two tomorrow." He also said, "The rescue operation is extremely difficult because we have to move people through narrow passages stretching for hundreds of meters, and underwater diving is also required," noting that the survivors' health is deteriorating as they wait for rescue.

Local authorities explained that the residents, who usually make a living by foraging for food in the nearby mountains, entered the cave after discovering rocks and sand of unusual colors, hoping to check for the presence of gold.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.