Thai rescuers say five people have been pulled alive from a flooded cave in remote Laos, where seven villagers became trapped after heavy rain cut off access underground.
Rescuers brought four people out of the cave in Xaisomboun province on Saturday, hours after another man was rescued on Friday night.
The seven villagers entered the cave on May 20 to search for gold ore, but became trapped after heavy rain caused flooding and blocked the exit.
Five of the men were found alive on Wednesday, more than a week after they entered the cave, while two others remain missing.
Rescue effort widens
Lao authorities deployed soldiers, police officers, medical workers, administrative officials and local volunteers to support the mission. Thai and Chinese rescue teams were also assisting, while international divers joined the operation as efforts widened.
Experienced divers Mikko Paasi and Norrased Palasing, who took part in the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in northern Thailand, arrived at the site on Monday, 25 May, to assist the operation.
Rescuers have reportedly trekked for up to two hours through mountainous terrain to reach the cave entrance. Footage from the scene showed water being pumped from the cave as teams worked to lower water levels and find a safe route through the blocked passages.
Rescue teams described conditions inside the cave as dangerous, with confined spaces, strong currents, narrow passages and concerns over oxygen levels slowing efforts to reach the remaining missing villagers.
Water pumps were installed to help drain the cave, but continued rainfall has hampered progress and raised fears of further flooding.
The operation has drawn comparisons with the Tham Luang cave rescue in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in 2018, when 12 young footballers and their coach were rescued after spending 18 days underground.
The rescue operation remains under way as teams continue searching for the two others, who remain missing.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a ...
Syria says it assured Israel that Türkiye had no plans to establish a military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before Israeli forces stru...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued his strongest warning yet over Türkiye's growing military role in Syria, saying Israe...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
Five years after Evergrande's debt crisis rattled global markets, founder Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life in prison, marking a dramatic new chapter in the downfall of China's former property giant.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
South Korea estimates North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, its defence minister said on Thursday, citing a range significantly higher than U.S. President Donald Trump's recent assertion that Pyongyang has 57 nuclear weapons.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least sixteen people and injured more than forty others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment