Rescuers bring first Lao worker to safety from flooded cave
Rescuers have brought the first Lao worker to safety from a flooded cave in Laos, with four others awaiting assessment and two still missing.
A rescue team has successfully brought one of seven Lao workers trapped in a flooded cave in Laos to safety, while four others remain inside awaiting assessment, according to the Thailand Rescue Diver Facebook page on Friday (May 29).
The page released an image showing rescuers safely guiding one of the five victims found inside the cave out of the tunnel.
Kengkad Bongkawong, head of the Metta Tham Kalasin Command and Control Centre and leader of the Thai rescue team, said the rescued worker was safe. Four others remain inside and are awaiting further assessment, while the search for two more missing workers is expected to continue on Saturday.
The rescue followed an incident in which seven Lao workers entered a cave near the Long Tieng valley in Long Chaeng district, Xaysomboun province. They became trapped after heavy rain and flooding cut off access to the cave, which is linked to gold mining activity.
The seven workers are believed to have been trapped since May 19. Thai rescuers found five of them in the flooded cave on May 27.
An initial assessment found that all five had been sheltering together. None was reported to be seriously ill, although they were exhausted and hungry after being trapped for several days.
Rescue efforts are now focused on evacuating the remaining four people found inside the cave and locating the two others who are still missing.
