Heavy rains threaten to delay search for 2 people missing in Laos cave

Heavy rains have delayed the search for two missing miners in a flooded cave in Laos’ central Xaisomboun province, about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane. Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, part of the international rescue team, told the Associated Press that rising water levels have filled the cave up to its second chamber, preventing divers from entering until pumps can reduce the water. Seven people entered the cave last week to search for minerals but were trapped by a flash flood, which blocked their escape route. One person escaped and alerted authorities, while five others were rescued over the weekend. The five survivors—identified as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen—were found in the fifth chamber and evacuated between Wednesday and Saturday. One was guided through a flooded passage by an expert diver, while the others walked out as water levels dropped. Rescue teams from Laos and Thailand, supported by divers from Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France, and Australia, have mapped over 200 meters of the cave system, discovering five chambers. Divers believe a narrow crack in the fifth chamber may lead to a sixth chamber, where the two missing miners could still be trapped. Paasi noted that the survivors described the crack as a potential passage, offering hope for further progress once water levels stabilize. The rescued men are being treated at a local hospital and are reported to be in good condition. Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie confirmed that rescuers are analyzing the survivors’ accounts to guide the search. Meanwhile, online videos from Saturday showed emotional scenes as the men emerged, some collapsing at the cave entrance before being transported for medical care. The rescue effort follows a similar 2018 operation in Thailand, where international divers successfully extracted 12 schoolboys and their coach from a flooded cave. Authorities continue to assess the cave’s conditions, with hopes of resuming the search for the remaining two individuals as soon as conditions allow.