Laos Cave Survivors Help Search for 2 Missing Men as Rescuers Rework Flooded Tunnel Plan
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 31
Laos Cave Survivors Help Search for 2 Missing Men as Rescuers Rework Flooded Tunnel Plan
10 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 31
Five of the seven trapped villagers have now been found, and survivors freed from Laos's flooded Xaysomboun cave are advising rescuers from hospital on how to reach the last two men believed deeper inside.
Their descriptions of the cave system—stretching deep underground and narrowing to about 50 cm in places—are being used to prepare a fresh search effort expected on Sunday.
Four men who emerged Saturday reportedly got out on their own after water levels fell, though a Japanese diver said the route used then is now impassable because a drainage pump broke and is still being repaired.
The villagers entered the cave on May 20 to search for gold before flash floods trapped them, and divers from Thailand, Indonesia, France and Australia have joined the rescue after earlier pumping efforts failed.
Beyond the dramatic rescue, what drives villagers to risk their lives for gold inside these deadly, abandoned mines?
With toxic gas and passages 'narrow as a dresser drawer', is this rescue even more dangerous than the famed 2018 Thai mission?