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dpatopbilder - In this picture released by Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, rescuers try to reach people trapped in a cave in Xaisomboun province. Photo: Uncredited/Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin/AP/dpa - ATTENTION: For editorial use only until 10.06.2026 and only with full attribution to the above credit
Keystone
Following the discovery of five gold prospectors trapped in a flooded cave in Laos, rescue teams are working feverishly to get the men out of the mountain and find two more missing people. According to the Laotian rescue organization Rescue Volunteer for People, the men found in the cave have now been provided with food and medicine. The rescue could begin later today.
The five gold seekers were discovered alive in the cave on Tuesday after more than a week. According to the emergency services, they are exhausted and hungry, but their condition is stable. The rescuers continued to pump out water to make the way out passable. They are also checking to see if water could enter again. At the same time, the search for the other two men continues. The rescue team is optimistic that they too will soon be found alive.
The group has been in the cave in Longchaeng district in the northern province of Xaisomboun since May 19. A total of ten villagers had been searching for gold there when heavy rainfall suddenly flooded the cave and parts of it collapsed. Three men were able to save themselves and raise the alarm. Seven have been trapped ever since. For a long time, it was unclear whether they were still alive - in the case of the two missing men, it is still unclear. According to media reports, the men are said to have had enough supplies with them to survive in the cave for several days.
Over the past few days, the rescuers have often only been able to crawl their way through extremely narrow passages and have had to dive through narrow underwater passages. It was not initially known exactly how the gold seekers were to be brought out of the cave.
According to the Laotian rescue organization, medical teams are ready to treat the men as soon as they are rescued. Additional helpers are to be organized for the transport from the difficult-to-access area, which is criss-crossed by mountains and jungles.
The rescue mission reminds many of the world-famous Tham Luang cave drama in northern Thailand in 2018, when twelve young footballers and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks after heavy rainfall. Only an international rescue operation with specialist divers was able to free them. Experienced international cave divers, who were already involved in the rescue of Tham Luang, are also supporting the mission this time. The authorities in Laos had asked Thailand for help because of its experience in complex cave rescues.
28.05.2026, 05:51
