in brief
- Seven people have been trapped in a cave in Laos’ central Xaisomboun province since 20 May.
- A rescue team involved in the 2018 Thai cave rescue that captured global attention is on the scene.
An extensive international rescue mission is currently in progress in Laos, aiming to save seven individuals trapped in a flooded cave. The situation bears a striking resemblance to the renowned 2018 cave rescue operation in Thailand.
The rescue operation is being spearheaded by local authorities, with the assistance of seasoned experts from Thailand and a diver from Finland. Both international specialists were instrumental in the successful 2018 Thai cave rescue that captured the world’s attention.
The seven individuals, all local residents of Laos, ventured into a cave in the central province of Xaisomboun on May 20. Unfortunately, they became trapped following a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall, as reported by a local rescue organization and the state-run Lao Phattana News.
As the rescue mission enters its seventh day, the team is reportedly nearing the trapped group, according to the head of the operation.
On Sunday, volunteers from the Thai Metta Tham Rescue Foundation joined the efforts and noted substantial progress in reaching the chamber where the individuals are trapped.
“I believe our success is not far away,” Kengkard Bongkawong, operational head of Metta Tham, said in a social media post on Monday.
Roughly 15m of rubble and obstacles trapping the group have been cleared in the last 24 hours.
The local effort is being led by the Laos Rescue Volunteer for People, which said the trapped group entered the cave in search of gold, though this has not been officially confirmed.
The cave is a local favourite among amateur prospectors in search of the rare metal, Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao rescue group told the Associated Press, and regional authorities have previously warned people not to enter it due to the safety risks.
An eighth member of the group managed to escape the initial flood and alert authorities to the incident.
Thai cave rescue echoes
In 2018, the Wild Boars youth football team became trapped in a flooded mountain cave in Thailand, which saw international experts fly in to assist in their rescue. US military personnel, Thai Navy SEALs, and a group of amateur British cave divers gathered in the Chiang Rai province to free the team after a gruelling 17-day mission.
Norrased “Ben” Palasing, a highly experienced Thai cave-diving specialist, was part of that operation and is currently on the ground in Laos. Mikko Paasi, a Finnish-born cave diver based in Thailand who was also part of the operation, is assisting in Laos as well.
The rescue of the 12 young boys and their football coach was assisted by at least 20 Australians, nine of whom were honoured with bravery awards by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The incident spawned three major feature films, three major documentaries, and a high-profile miniseries.
Flooded, narrow, dangerous
The site is in a remote area in Xaisomboun province’s Longcheng district, about 120km north of the capital, Vientiane.
Rescuers at the scene have detailed on social media the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain hampering the operation.
Videos shared online by Thai rescuers showed that reaching the cave’s entrance requires a steep hike on foot of roughly 4km.
The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person to climb through at a time.
Inside, rescuers must go through muddy passageways, flooded sections and narrow tunnels that forced them to crawl forward.
Footage posted on the Facebook page of Lao Phattana News showed rescuers in helmets crawling through tight spaces under torchlight, gasping for breath, and others wading slowly through muddy, chest-high waters deep into the cave.
Kengkard has said that the team will continue to pump water day and night from the flooded cave after they managed to break through sand and gravel to inch their way closer to an underwater shaft they believe will lead them to the trapped miners.
He said a survey of the area above the cave found four shafts which could potentially connect to the cave system and provide an additional route for the rescue. According to rescuers, divers have navigated about 100 metres into the flooded, narrow cave.
“We estimate that less than 20 metres remain before we reach the key target area,” he said.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.