Four people trapped in flooded cave in Laos pulled to safety

Four people trapped for 10 days in a flooded cave in Laos have been safely evacuated by rescuers.

Lao and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and being wrapped in foil blankets.

Rescue Volunteer for People, a Lao organisation, said on its Facebook page that the water level inside the cave receded low enough for the four people to leave with divers who had gone in to deliver food and water.

It comes just hours after another survivor was pulled from the cave on Friday, in an operation that took about 30 minutes, according to rescuers.

Rescue teams have been working to drain water out of the cave, as they continue to search for two people who are still missing.

The villagers had reportedly entered the site last week to look for gold before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out.

Another villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind.

Five of the group were found alive on Wednesday.

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

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

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.

Several of the rescuers at the site had reportedly taken part in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their football coach.

In a video on Friday, about an hour before the evacuation of the first man began, Thai rescuer Kengkaj Bongkawong, of the Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, detailed the challenge they are facing in the operation.

"To dive in a cave, there are issues with the temperature, narrow areas, control of movement, and managing the panic of the survivor, which will be difficult, but we have to do it," he said.

As part of the operation, rescuers anticipated having to guide the survivors without diving skills through zero-visibility water.

A video showed Thai diver Norrased Palasing and Finnish diver Mikko Paasi teaching the men how to use diving gear, including breathing techniques underwater.

"All the way, breathe through your mouth only. Do not ever breathe with your nose, do you understand?" Norrased Palasing could be heard saying.

Other footage showed rescuers ‌bringing the four Laotian men out of the cave with flashlights strapped to their heads and with muddy clothes.

They ‌had joyful expressions on their faces, and some were crying with relief.

(c) Sky News 2026: Four people trapped in flooded cave in Laos pulled to safety