Eight men entered the cave in a remote mountainous region of Xaysomboun province on May 20 while prospecting for gold. The flood cut off their way back. One got out earlier and notified emergency services about the others.
The first person was rescued on Friday. Four more are already on the surface
The operation began a few hours after the first man was rescued from a flooded cave on Friday evening. The evacuation took about 30 minutes. Teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand, as well as divers from Japan and Malaysia, participated in the activities.
The Thailand Rescue Diver organization announced on Facebook that on Saturday at approximately At 3:10 p.m. local time (10:10 a.m. in Poland), the services removed another four people. “The water level was lowered by pumping it out, which allowed them to get to the surface,” Malaysian rescue diver Lee Kian Lie told AFP.
Zero visibility and narrow passages
The rescuers cited by the AP explained that diving in the cave is extremely difficult due to the low temperature, narrow passages and the risk of panic among the evacuees. Members of the rescue team also emphasized that the operation carried a significant risk for themselves – they had to guide those trapped through the water with zero visibility.
