Five people found alive after week trapped in flooded Laos cave
Five of seven villagers trapped after flooding in a Laotian cave have been found alive, according to BBC. Rescue teams continue to search for the other two missing villagers. An international team including Australian divers supported the operation, and water levels in the cave's narrow sections are slowly receding.
According to a BBC report, five of seven villagers trapped after flooding in a Laotian cave have been rescued alive. The rescue operation has lasted roughly a week; rising water in the cave's narrow passages limited dive teams' progress early on. The rescued villagers have been transferred to a field hospital and are reportedly in stable condition.
The international team supporting the operation included experienced cave divers from Australia; the Lao government had also requested technical support from neighbouring countries. Rescuers say traces of the other two missing villagers have been identified but their location has not been confirmed. Footage from inside the cave shows multiple water chambers and narrowing corridors that have made the operation a delicate rescue mission.
In the coming hours additional dives are planned if water levels recede; meteorological teams are closely monitoring further rainfall in the region. The operation is being compared to the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand, which prompted a similar wave of international solidarity. This article is not personal disaster-preparedness advice.
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