Five gold prospectors found alive in flooded Laos cave, search continues for two missing

Rescue teams in Laos have located five of seven people trapped inside a flooded cave in the country’s Xaisomboun province after heavy rainfall blocked the exit and submerged parts of the underground passage.

The group had entered the cave in search of gold when sudden flooding caused by torrential rain cut off their escape route. The seven individuals have been trapped inside the cave since May 20.

Authorities said five people were found alive sheltering in a narrow chamber approximately 300 metres from the cave entrance. However, rescuers warned that extracting them remains an extremely challenging and dangerous operation.

According to rescue officials, the survivors have managed to remain alive because the area where they are sheltering has access to breathable air.

The cave's interior is described as narrow, steep and hazardous, with rescue personnel forced to crawl through passages in some sections. Certain parts of the route are reportedly only 60 centimetres wide, while slippery rocks and drops of four to five metres have further complicated the operation.

An international team of cave-rescue specialists has joined the mission, including experienced divers from Finland who previously participated in the dramatic rescue of a youth football team from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018.

Experts from Malaysia, Japan, France, Indonesia and Thailand are also assisting local authorities.

Among them is Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who took part in the Thailand rescue operation. He described the current mission as a race against time as teams work to reach and safely evacuate those trapped.

Meanwhile, rescuers continue searching for the remaining two missing individuals.

The operation has been further complicated by the presence of hydrogen sulphide, a toxic and foul-smelling gas believed to be emanating from decomposing bat carcasses inside the cave.

Rescue officials said several team members had reportedly fainted after being exposed to the gas, forcing crews to take additional safety precautions.

Heavy rain on Thursday also caused fresh inflows of water and mud into the cave system, adding to the challenges facing rescue teams.