Rescue Teams Hunt for Alternate Passage to Reach 2 Missing in Laos Cave

Rescue teams in Laos are racing against worsening weather and rising floodwaters to reach two villagers still missing inside a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, nearly two weeks after they became trapped while searching for gold and other valuable minerals. Officials have not established contact with the men, but rescuers continue to treat the operation as a rescue mission amid hopes they may have reached a deeper air-filled chamber.

The seven villagers entered the cave around May 20 before a sudden flash flood and landslide blocked their exit. One villager managed to escape and alert authorities. Since then, an international rescue effort involving teams from Laos, Thailand, Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia has been working in the rugged mountainous region about 120 kilometres north of Vientiane. Several rescuers previously took part in the celebrated 2018 Thailand cave rescue .

So far, five survivors have been rescued . The first was guided through a narrow flooded passage by an expert diver on Friday, while four others walked out on Saturday after water levels dropped. Survivors were reported to be hungry and dehydrated but in stable condition after receiving medical checks, water and liquid food.

New information provided by the survivors has given rescuers fresh hope. Finnish diver Mikko Paasi said there is a theory that the two missing men may have moved beyond a narrow crack into a previously unexplored sixth chamber deeper inside the cave system. Search teams are now concentrating on reaching that area.

The operation has been hampered by heavy monsoon rains , which reflooded sections of the cave and forced rescuers to suspend work on Sunday night. Teams are pumping water from the cave, searching for air shafts from above and exploring alternative entrances after reports that a key drainage pump malfunctioned. Divers have described navigating extremely narrow passages, some only about 60 centimetres wide, with poor visibility, strong currents and collapse hazards.

Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie said rescuers will enter the suspected area where the missing men may be trapped once water levels fall sufficiently. Despite the deteriorating conditions, teams remain hopeful that the two villagers could still be alive in a dry section of the cave beyond the flooded passages.