Five people stuck in flooded cave in Laos for week found alive, rescuers say

Five people who were stuck in a flooded cave in central Laos for more than a week have been found alive, but two others are still missing, rescuers say.

The group of seven villagers entered the cave in a remote area in Xaisomboun province on 19 May, but flash flooding triggered by heavy rain blocked the exit.

Five of them were found safe and alive, according to Bounkham Luanglath of the Lao organisation Rescue Volunteer for People, which has been working closely with local authorities in rescue efforts.

"I'm still shaking. Our team made it happen," Mr Luanglath said.

The search for the remaining two villagers will continue.

The operation involves rescuers from Laos and neighbouring Thailand, with the latter arriving over the weekend at the site, which is located in the Longcheng district, about 75 miles (120km) north of the capital Vientiane.

It also includes divers from several countries who took part in the complicated rescue of 12 schoolboys and their football coach in northern Thailand in 2018. The group was trapped in a cave for more than two weeks before being rescued.

A Thai rescue group involved in the operation to find the villagers posted a video, which appeared to show the moment divers emerged from the water and discovered those trapped in the cave.

The footage showed the villagers wearing headlamps and sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.

In other videos, rescuers can be seen cheering and hugging each other in joy inside and outside the cave after the discovery of the missing group.

Rescuers have used social media to document the challenging mountainous terrain and heavy rain that has hampered their work.

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Their footage shows that reaching the cave's entrance requires a steep 2.5-mile (4km) hike on foot. The entrance is also steep and rocky, and barely wide enough for a single person at a time to climb through.

Officials have not said why the villagers entered the cave, but Mr Luanglath said the cave is frequently visited by locals seeking gold, despite repeated warnings from authorities not to enter for safety reasons.

(c) Sky News 2026: Five people stuck in flooded cave in Laos for week found alive, rescuers say