Thai rescuers battle rising floodwaters in Laos cave rescue

A member of the 26-strong Thai rescue team helping to rescue seven Laotians trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos’ Xaysomboun province has described the mission as an extremely difficult race against time, with rising floodwaters and dangerous terrain hampering operations.

“Jakkrit” posted video updates from inside the cave area, showing the harsh conditions rescuers are facing.

“The cave is extremely narrow and the water level keeps rising because the rain outside has not stopped,” he said.

The Thai rescue team travelled to Laos at the request of Lao authorities.

According to Jakkrit, access to the site is highly challenging, with rescue teams required to trek through mountainous terrain for up to two hours, despite the distance being only around four kilometres. He said the conditions are so exhausting that rescue workers cannot travel back and forth from the site and instead have to camp near the cave entrance to monitor the situation continuously.

“If they walk in and out repeatedly, they would run out of energy before completing the mission,” he said.

Jakkrit described the rescue effort as one of the toughest missions he has experienced, with officials now racing against both time and unpredictable weather conditions. He is among the Thai rescuers joining Lao teams in efforts to save the seven people trapped in a flooded cave in Long Cheng district since May 19.

Laotian authorities provided the team with helicopters to travel to the province, about 240 kilometres north of the capital, Vientiane.

The team comprises rescue personnel and volunteers from several agencies, who have prepared equipment and documents for the cross-border operation.

About ten villagers hired by a Chinese mining company to search for gold in the area for a daily wage of about 150 baht became trapped in the subterranean gold mine after heavy rain triggered flash flooding and a landslide that blocked the entrance.

Three of them managed to escape before the tunnel was inundated, leaving the remaining seven trapped inside.

Rescue teams said the underground passage is extremely narrow and complex, resembling conditions seen during Thailand’s Tham Luang cave rescue. Some sections are only about 50 centimetres wide.

Initial reports indicated that the trapped workers are believed to be inside a large chamber located more than 100 metres from the mine entrance, which is only about 60 centimetres high, forcing rescuers to crawl through the tunnel. Above the chamber is an opening resembling a ventilation shaft about 50 metres deep.

Reports also said the Chinese mining company has deployed excavators to drill through the mountain from above in an attempt to create an alternative access route, although it remains unclear whether rescuers can reach the trapped workers that way.