Five trapped villagers were located alive and in good health in a flooded cave in Laos' Xaisomboun province, while rescuers continued searching for two others.
Heavy rain on May 19 triggered flash flooding that blocked the cave exit after the group entered to search for gold, leaving one villager to escape and alert authorities.
Laos and Thai teams are leading the operation after Vientiane sought outside help, with rescue chief Kengkard Bongkawong posting that the search for the remaining two is ongoing.
Divers from several countries who joined Thailand's 2018 cave rescue are also assisting, underscoring the complexity of the flooded-cave operation.
Why is this rescue deemed more perilous and claustrophobic than the world-famous 2018 Thai cave operation?
When poverty drives people into deadly caves, is a high-risk rescue the only answer to the problem?
Beyond the floodwaters, what invisible radiological dangers do these gold-seeking villagers and their community face?