Rescuers Evacuate First of Five Men Trapped in Flooded Laos Cave

Thai and Lao teams posted video on social media showing him walking unsteadily with a lamp strapped to his forehead. Four other men remain inside a chamber about 300 metres from the entrance. Two additional villagers are still unaccounted for.

The seven men entered the cave on or around May 20 to search for gold deposits or valuable minerals. Flash floods quickly blocked their exit route. One villager escaped in time and alerted authorities. The remaining seven were cut off by rising water and sediment.

Divers from Laos, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, France and Australia have taken part in the effort. Several had previously worked on the 2018 rescue of 12 schoolboys in Thailand. Teams pumped water from the passages on Friday but a morning rainstorm slowed progress.

The trapped men have received water, soft food and foil blankets. " — Thai rescue group, Friday (social media post) >"I can't go on. I don't have any strength," Khamla told a diver on Thursday. The diver reassured him that water was being drained and gave him blankets and food.

Rescuers have suspended further extractions until Saturday while they assess the remaining four men. Search operations for the two missing villagers will also resume then. Gary Mitchell of the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team said teams must balance the risks of guiding non-divers through zero-visibility water against waiting for water levels to drop.

The cave lies in rugged terrain roughly 120 kilometres north of Vientiane, requiring a multi-kilometre hike to reach the entrance.