Among the rescuers are two Thais and a Finnish specialist, who participated in the 2018 rescue of a football team trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.
Specialized divers, some of whom participated in the rescue of young football players in Thailandjoined the operations to remove seven people trapped by water five days ago in a cave in Laos, state press reported this Monday (25).
Os seven residents entered the cave on May 20located in the province of Xaysomboun, northeast of the capital, Vientiane, according to the public outlet Laophattana News.
They intended to “look for gold”, but heavy rains caused a flood and blocked the exitdetailed the same source.
Local authorities and residents of the region tried to remove the water from the cave with pumps, but rescue teams were still unable to reach the group. “We still don’t know if they are still alive,” Bounkham Luanglat, head of a local rescue association, told AFP, according to which around 100 people are taking part in the operations.
Among them are two Thai rescuers and a Finnish specialist based in the regionwho participated in the 2018 rescue of a football team trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.
See images of the rescuers:
🚨 Day 7: 7 villagers trapped in Xaysomboun Cave, Laos!
Flooded gold mine since May 19. 3 escaped, 7 inside with rising water & no air.
Thai team + Lao rescuers + Finnish diver on site. Critical.
Watch video & photo 👇
RT & share! Need intl help.
— Mitprasong Mingnakhone (@Mitprasong1490)
‘Difficult mission’
Rescuers in Laos asked their counterparts in Thailand for support in obtaining specialized supplies such as water pumps, generators and thermal cameras.
“The mission is difficult because of the rain. We had to leave because the water level was rising“, reported Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtan in a video posted on Facebook.
Situated in a remote area, the cave extends deep underground, and residents can be trapped more than 100 meters from the entrance.
