May 29, 2026, 8:34 p.mMay 29, 2026, 8:34 p.m
The first survivor was freed after 10 days.Image: keystone
Cheers in Laos: The first of five gold prospectors trapped in a flooded cave in Laos has been rescued. The Laotian rescue organization Rescue Volunteer for People said that so much water had previously been pumped out of the cave that a safe rescue was possible in the afternoon (local time). In the evening, a video distributed by CNN showed the man slowly climbing out of the mountain, supported by helpers. According to the Thai rescue unit MTK, the rescue took 37 minutes.
The other four men are now to be gradually freed from their claustrophobic prison. The group has been stuck hundreds of meters from the entrance for 10 days after heavy rains flooded the gold mine in northern Xaisomboun province and triggered a landslide. Colleagues who were able to save themselves raised the alarm.
Narrow tunnels and risk of collapse
Although the gold seekers were discovered alive in a chamber of the cave on Wednesday, it took a long time before the actual recovery could begin. The rescue operation was considered extremely risky due to extremely narrow tunnels, high water levels and the acute risk of collapse. At the same time, there is now little hope of finding two men who are still missing alive.
Rescue workers have now searched around 95 percent of the tunnel system, but so far have not discovered any trace of the two, said Finnish cave diver Mikko Paasi to the broadcaster ThaiPBS World. “We don’t have many places left to look,” he explained. But the search for them should continue. (sda/dpa)