5 Rescued From Flooded Laos Cave, 2 Still Missing
BANGKOK (AP) — Rescuers in Laos said Saturday that they safely evacuated four villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days the next day. successfully removed. Two men remain missing.
Lao and Thai rescue groups shared photos on social media of men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and wrapped in foil blankets.
Villagers reportedly entered the cave last week to search for valuable minerals and were subsequently trapped by flash floods that blocked their exit. Another villager escaped in time and reported the remaining seven people to the authorities.
Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue Unit via Getty Images
The Lao People’s Rescue Volunteer organization said on its Facebook page that the water level inside the cave had dropped enough for divers to leave the cave, as they went in to distribute food and water. It was stated that they will continue their search for the two missing people.
A video posted online by Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtang at the scene shows the men being helped out of the cave entrance one by one, their bodies covered in mud. Some collapsed after getting out and were embraced by a group of rescuers who cried with joy.
The first of the stranded group was evacuated safely on Friday. According to rescue teams, the operation lasted about 30 minutes. The videos showed the moment he emerged from the water next to a diver, held his breath, struggled to crawl through a narrow submerged passage, and stood up unsteadily.
Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue Unit (via Getty Images)
Villagers reportedly entered the cave last week to search for valuable minerals and were subsequently trapped by flash floods that blocked their exit. Another villager escaped in time and reported the remaining seven people to the authorities.
five of them Found alive Wednesday. They were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen.
Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand were joined by their Japanese and Malaysian counterparts. Indonesian, French and Australian experts also reportedly arrived at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital Vientiane.
Many were involved in a complex process. 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand A group of 12 students and their football coach.
Rescue teams are also preparing to search for two missing villagers.
Kengkaj Bongkawong, head of Thai rescue group Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, said Friday that the team plans to explore an area deeper into the cave, about 20 to 25 meters from where the survivors were found. But he warned that the area was heavily flooded.
