Rescuers free four men who had been trapped in flooded Laos cave for more than a week as two are still missing

Published: 11:37, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 11:56, 30 May 2026 Rescue workers in Laos said they have safely evacuated four remaining villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, a day after another one was successfully extracted. Laos and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and being wrapped in foil blankets. The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out.  Another villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven who were left behind. Two people remain unlocated. The group had been stuck in the cavern in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province since May 20, when flash floods stranded them as they searched for gold, early state media reports said.  Five of the men were located alive on Wednesday, huddling in a narrow shaft around 984 feet from the cave mouth.  Rescue workers in Laos said they have safely evacuated four remaining villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days  Picture shows a rescue team (foreground) training people (background) trapped in a semi-submerged cave how to use diving equipment The group had been stuck in the cavern in a remote mountainous area of central Xaysomboun province since May 20 In the footage filmed by the divers the men can be seen sat in a huddle on a dry ledge inside the cave with wide grins of relief.  When the men were found, many complained of chest pains and hunger pangs, while the remaining two of their group remain unaccounted for.  Rescue efforts had focused on pumping out the monsoon floodwaters that trapped the men. Earlier yesterday, Thai rescue teams were rehearsing extraction procedures outside the cave with stretchers, ropes and cables, according to images shared on social media. Laos's meteorology office forecasted thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and evening, with rainfall expected across 60 per cent of Xaysomboun province. Meanwhile, a new team of specialist divers touched down in Laos on Friday, including members from Thailand, France, Indonesia and Australia, according to Thai rescuers. The first of seven men trapped for over a week in a flooded cave in Laos was freed yesterday This image released by Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, shows rescue workers gathering in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos International diving teams, including some who worked on the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018, have battled for days to retrieve the men.  Reaching them required skilled divers to crawl and twist through incredibly narrow passageways, moving through muddy water with poor visibility.  Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, part of the team that saved the 'Wild Boars' football team in Thailand, said on Wednesday that rescuers were 'racing against time' inside the cave.  Laos's local media reported several rescue workers had shown signs of exhaustion after spending seven to 10 hours at a time inside the cave system carrying oxygen tanks, rescue equipment and supplies. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.