1 day ago
1
Rescue workers successful Laos searched Monday (June 1, 2026) for an alternate transition into a flooded cave wherever 2 radical are believed to person been trapped for astir 2 weeks aft dense rainfall flooded the main entrance, making it impassable.
The 2 radical stay unaccounted for since a hunt and rescue cognition began past period successful a rugged country of Xaisomboun Province, astir 120 km northbound of the capital, Vientiane. 5 of the 7 radical initially trapped wrong the cave person been rescued.
Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie, who is progressive successful the operation, said workers were pumping h2o retired of the cave.
“We volition spell into the suspected country to proceed the hunt if the h2o level is lowered,” helium told The Associated Press.
Another squad of rescuers is besides looking astir the different broadside of the cave successful hopes of uncovering a adust transition that could supply entree to the country wherever the missing radical are believed to beryllium trapped, helium said.
Rescue teams from Laos and neighbouring Thailand person been moving unneurotic for much than a week. They were joined by divers from countries including Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia.
Several of the rescuers antecedently took portion successful the analyzable 2018 cave rescue successful bluish Thailand that saved 12 schoolboys and their shot manager from a flooded cave.
Laos's Rescue Volunteer for People radical posted connected its Facebook leafage that dense rainfall caused “massive amounts of water” to travel down into the area, forcing them to suspend operations connected Sunday (May 31, 2026) night.
Kengkaj Bongkawong, caput of the Thai radical Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, said that the workers are besides looking for aerial shafts from supra that whitethorn supply entree into the cave.
Rescuers judge the 2 missing radical are trapped deeper wrong the cave than the determination wherever the 5 survivors were primitively recovered connected Wednesday (May 26, 2026). But the transition into that country is said to beryllium precise constrictive and heavy flooded.
The villagers reportedly entered the cave astir 2 weeks agone to look for invaluable minerals specified arsenic golden earlier being trapped by a flash flood that blocked their mode out. One different villager escaped and alerted the authorities.
The archetypal antheral was safely extracted connected Friday (May 29, 2026), guided done a constrictive flooded transition by an adept diver. The remaining 4 near the cave connected Saturday (May 29, 2026) aft the h2o receded capable for them to locomotion retired connected their own, rescuers said.
