Rescuers race to save last two men trapped in Laos cave

AsiaRescuers race to save last two men trapped in Laos caveDivers have been pushing through tight crevices, with little light or air, and the constant risk that the weather could deteriorate and reflood the cave that rescuers have worked so relentlessly to drain.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleFour more men rescued after more than a week trapped in a flooded cave in Laos02:08Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 1, 2026, 8:11 AM EDTBy Nat Sumon, Janis Mackey Frayer and Mithil AggarwalBANGKOK — With their elbows and knees scraping the walls as they wriggle through claustrophobic tunnels, rescuers are in a race against time to save two men still stuck in a cave in central Laos.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Seven men in search of gold were trapped in the mazelike cave network in Xaisomboun province more than a week ago when heavy rain and flash flooding blocked the only entrance. Five of them have since been freed as water levels dropped, including four who walked out on their own on Saturday just as divers were getting ready to go in and get them.On Monday, the focus narrowed on the remaining two men, as divers used ropes to rappel down into deep shafts, straining to hear clues for where they might be.Kengkard Bongkawong, a Thai specialist cave diver whose Mettatham Association Rescue Unit is leading the high-stakes operation, said they were not giving up on their search, though he admitted he was feeling the pressure with lives on the line. “The discouraged and tired feelings are a lot, I still feel I am failing in many things,” he told NBC News as he teared up while speaking from the site in an interview Monday. 01:20Four more men rescued from Laos cave00:0000:00“To be the operator and to be the leader, the pressure is so different,” said Bongkawong, who was also a key part of the team involved in the 2018 rescue of a dozen boys and their socc...