(Adnkronos) – Rescuers are engaged in a “race against time” to extract seven people trapped for a week in a flooded cave in Laos. This was stated by a specialized diver involved in the operation. “If today it will be possible to ensure safety in every aspect, we are considering a final search dive into the last chamber to locate the seven missing people,” said Finnish diver Mikko Paasi in a social media post. “We are racing against time, as today is the seventh day and the path is full of pitfalls,” added Paasi, one of the rescuers who participated in the dramatic rescue of a youth football team trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018.
Seven Laotian villagers entered the cave in the central province of Xaysomboun, about 125 kilometers northeast of the capital Vientiane, on May 20, according to Laotian state media. They were looking for gold, but became trapped inside the cave, which Paasi called an “abandoned gold mine,” after heavy rains caused a sudden flood, blocking their exit. Authorities and villagers worked to pump out the water, but rescue teams were unable to reach the group, state media reported.
This morning, the water level in the cave has significantly dropped, and rescuers continue to pump it out, reported the state-run Lao Economic Daily. Before the resumption of rescue operations, Laotian rescuers, local officials, and villagers gathered outside the cave to perform a traditional spiritual ceremony, offering chickens and rice wine to the sacred spirits believed to protect the mountain and the rescuers, according to a Laotian rescue group.
The cave system, located in a remote area, extends deep underground, with multiple levels and narrow passages. Inside the cave, Paasi stated that “one must travel hundreds of meters through continuous obstacles, floods, collapse hazards, and a high risk of air pollution.” The seven missing people “should be trapped in the terminal chamber” about 300 meters from the exit, said Paasi, who is part of the team that includes another diver and a team leader from Laos. “We remain confident of finding the miners alive, as they entered the mine with sufficient provisions to stay underground for several days,” Paasi said.
