Four Gold Miners Escape Flooded Cave in Laos as Search Continues for Two Missing

Four gold miners trapped in a flooded cave in Laos emerged on their own on Saturday after noticing the water level had dropped. " They were muddy and shaken but alive when they reached the surface. Rescuers had found all five miners in the furthest of the cave's five known chambers on Wednesday.

Rescue divers brought food and supplies to the group and mapped the cave to prepare a rescue plan. On Friday, one miner was pulled from the cave in a risky maneuver, after which rescuers kept pumps working through the night to remove water from the system. On Saturday morning, divers suited up to re-enter the cave to assess conditions.

They encountered the four miners already coming out. "We were just getting ready to come in and they're already coming out," Paasi told CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman. "It took me a while to understand that this is really happening, and counting.

The four men were greeted with cheers, hugs and a party-like atmosphere. " "It's the reason that we keep on doing this for sure," he said. All seven miners had been in the cave together when floodwaters trapped them almost two weeks ago.

Two miners remain missing. They may be in a sixth chamber accessible only through a narrow gap near where the other five were found. Paasi said the chamber is too small for him to enter, but other divers will attempt to explore it.

The rescue team agreed to continue searching for the two men and to keep pumping water in an effort to drain the entire cave system. "We agreed that 'OK, now we're going to go and find the missing two,'" Paasi said. "We can't stop here.

We are already here. " Heavy rain threatens the ongoing search.