Laos: Seven people looking for gold trapped in flooded cave for a week in Xaisomboun province
Seven people who ventured into the cave to look for gold have been trapped for a week after heavy rain triggered flash flooding that's blocked the exit.
Expert cave divers are racing against time to reach seven people who have been trapped in a narrow cave in central Laos for a week.
A group of villagers in Xaisomboun province went into the cave to look for gold last Tuesday, but heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides that blocked the exit, according to Laos and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation.
“All day, all night, water was still being pumped out,” Kengkard Bongkawong, of the Thai rescue group Metta Tham Rescue, said.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Kengard was part of the team that rescued 12 Thai soccer players and their coach after they were trapped for two weeks in a flooded cave in Chang Rai province in Thailand in 2018.
He said the trapped villagers were about 20m away from rescuers. A lack of oxygen is also hampering the rescue.
“The route is not complicated but the problem is the space. It’s so narrow that we have to crawl and tilt to pass through; also the rocks are really sharp,” Kengkard told The Guardian.
“I’m confident that they are still alive because there is still air in the cave.”
Water levels have continued to rise stopping rescuers from going further.
Bounkham Luanglath, who leads the Laos’ Rescue Volunteer for People, said Monday that one of the people from the group escaped before the exit was blocked and alerted authorities.
He said the cave is a narrow chamber — about 50cm wide and 60cm high at some points — often visited by villagers searching for gold deposits.
The cave system, about 125m northeast of the capital Vientiane, extends deep underground, with multiple levels and some passages reaching more than 100m from the entrance, the Laotian rescue group said.
Authorities had repeatedly warned people against entering the cave out of safety concerns.
Rescuers had to hike 5km through mountainous terrain to reach the cave.
State-run Lao National Radio reported that Thai rescuers arrived at the site on Sunday.
On Monday, they were joined by a Finnish expert Mikko Paasi and Thai Naset Pason, who helped in the 2018 rescue.
The Laotian rescue group said it was appealing to charities in Thailand for specialist personnel and equipment, including water pumps, generators and thermal imaging devices. to help locate and extract the seven trapped people.
The Laos’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment.
The south-east Asian nation is a one-party communist state with no organised opposition and the government often keeps a tight lid on information.
