Thai rescuers withdraw from Laos cave search after collapse risk rises
Thai rescuers ended a 14-day Laos cave mission after a collapse raised safety risks, handing over plans to Lao teams as two workers remain missing.
- Thai rescue teams have formally withdrawn from a cave search in Laos due to a collapse at the cave's entrance, which created serious safety concerns for personnel.
- The decision was also influenced by the exhaustion and illness of team members who had been working continuously for 14 days under difficult conditions.
- The mission was searching for seven villagers trapped by flash floods; five have been rescued, but two remain missing.
- The Thai team has handed over its plans to Lao authorities and stated they will return to assist once conditions are stable and the cave is safe to enter.
Thai rescue teams have formally ended their search for missing people inside a cave in Laos after days of joint operations with Lao authorities under increasingly dangerous conditions.
The Thai team ended its mission on Saturday (June 6), after rescue workers and relevant agencies from Laos and Thailand had worked continuously in difficult terrain, with risks at the site continuing to rise.
Equipment and personal belongings were due to be moved out of the operational area in the afternoon. A traditional blessing and thank-you ceremony for all personnel involved was scheduled for 5pm at Ban Phansai in Long Chaeng district, Xaysomboun province, Laos.
The Thai team was expected to return home on Sunday (June 7).
Reports indicated that the key reason for ending the mission was a collapse at the cave entrance, which created serious safety concerns for personnel working at the site.
Many members of the Thai rescue team had also been working for an extended period and were suffering from exhaustion, while several personnel had fallen ill due to the intensity and duration of the operation.
Although the mission had to be suspended before all the missing people were found, rescuers from both countries had worked with dedication in a difficult and high-risk environment to locate as many of those trapped as possible.
Lao authorities are expected to announce official details and the next steps after a joint review meeting with all relevant parties.
Search continues for final two after five rescued
The crisis began on May 19, when a group of seven local villagers entered an uncharted cave system in Xaysomboun province, an area linked to informal mining activity, reportedly to search for gold. Soon after they entered, unusually heavy rain triggered severe flash flooding across the mountainous terrain.
Floodwaters quickly inundated the cave’s lower chambers and blocked the main exit, leaving the group trapped inside in near-total darkness. Five people have so far been rescued, while two remain missing.
Chakkit Taengtang, a well-known volunteer influencer and founder of the Saithan Saphan Boon volunteer group, later posted on Facebook that the Thai team had carried out the mission from May 23 to June 6, covering 14 days and 13 nights.
He wrote that the Thai team had handed over its plans and information to the Lao team to continue the operation. He also expressed sadness that the mission had not achieved its target.
“The tears we shed — yes, it hurts that the mission did not go as planned,” he wrote.
He noted that the Thai team had agreed to pull back to speed up water drainage. He wrote that when the weather clears, the water drains and the cave entrance is stable, the Thai team will return.
Chakkit also posted a video showing himself giving his own money to the families of the two workers still missing inside the cave.
“We did our best. It is not that we did not fight. We did fight, but we could not fight nature. And we will return,” he wrote.
He added that he had initially given 30 million kip to each family, equivalent to about 45,000 baht, for a total of 90,000 baht from his personal funds.
