5 of 7 people trapped in flooded Laos cave for more than a week found alive, rescuers say

Bangkok — Five villagers stuck in a flooded cave in central Laos for more than a week were found alive, rescuers said Wednesday, but two others are missing.

The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding that blocked the exit and trapped seven people, according to Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.

A video posted by a Thai rescue group involved in the mission appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered the trapped villagers. In the footage, the villagers, each wearing a headlamp, were sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.

Mikko Paasi, the diver leading the rescue mission, told CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman on a call from deep inside the cave Wednesday that he and his partner planned to continue searching for those still missing. While they figure out what to do next, Paasi said the current priority is getting food and water to the five people found alive, which will be difficult. He described the five of them as disoriented and unsure where they were, but OK. 

Other videos showed rescuers inside and outside the cave cheering, jumping around and hugging each other in joy after the discovery.

Paasi told Gutman that the ideal course of action in Laos would be to pump water out of the cave so that everyone trapped inside could walk out. But there are concerns about the buildup of carbon dioxide in the small chamber where the five villagers were found, and whether they are strong enough to make the treacherous journey out is unclear, he said. 

Paasi is among the divers involved in this rescue who also took part in the complicated 2018 rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach. They were trapped for more than two weeks in a cave before being safely extricated.

The cave is located in a rugged, remote area in Xaisomboun province’s Longcheng district, about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane. Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that has hampered their work.

Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave’s entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 2.5 miles. The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person at a time to climb through.

The muddy pit in dense jungle miles from a road that had been the mine entrance has been the hub of rescue operations.     

There has been no official confirmation on why the villagers went into the cave. However, Bounkham has said that the cave was frequented by local residents looking for gold, even though authorities had repeatedly warned them against entering the cave due to safety concerns.