Laos Cave Rescue Saves Five Villagers After Flooding Incident

(MENAFN) Rescue teams in Laos have successfully brought five villagers to safety after they spent more than a week trapped inside a flooded cave, while efforts remain underway to locate two others who are still missing.

The group became stranded on May 20 when heavy rain caused flooding and landslides that sealed the entrance to a cave in Xaysomboun Province. According to reports, the villagers had entered the cave in search of gold ore before becoming trapped.

After several days of challenging rescue operations, search teams discovered five survivors sheltering on a rocky ledge approximately 300 meters inside the cave network. Four of the men were rescued on Saturday, following the successful extraction of the first survivor a day earlier.

The rescued villagers were taken for medical evaluation and treatment, while authorities said the mission has now shifted its focus to finding the two remaining members of the group.

The operation has involved a large multinational rescue effort, bringing together specialists from Laos, Thailand and other countries. Among those assisting are experienced cave divers who previously participated in the dramatic Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand.

According to reports, more than 100 rescuers have been involved in the mission, working through flooded tunnels, unstable rock formations and extremely poor visibility conditions in a race to find the missing villagers.

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