Four more villagers rescued from Laos cave after 10-day ordeal

Rescue teams in Laos have successfully brought four more villagers out of a flooded cave where they had been trapped for 10 days, while efforts continue to locate two others who remain missing.

The latest rescue operation took place on Saturday, a day after the first survivor was safely evacuated from the cave in Xaisomboun province.

Photos and videos shared by Lao and Thai rescue teams showed the rescued men receiving medical assistance after emerging from the cave. 

They were seen lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and wrapped in emergency blankets.

According to rescuers, the group entered the cave in search of valuable minerals before becoming trapped when flash floods suddenly blocked their exit route.

One member of the group managed to escape and later alerted authorities, triggering a large-scale international rescue mission.

Officials said falling water levels inside the cave allowed rescuers to guide four survivors to safety alongside divers who had been supplying them with food and drinking water.

Video footage released by Thai rescuer Chakkit Taengtang showed the exhausted survivors emerging from the cave covered in mud before being welcomed by emotional rescue personnel.

The first trapped villager was rescued on Friday during an operation that reportedly took about 30 minutes.

Authorities confirmed that five villagers—identified as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen—were found alive earlier this week.

The rescue effort has drawn support from teams across Asia and beyond. Specialists from Laos, Thailand, Japan and Malaysia, along with experts from Indonesia, France and Australia, joined the operation in the mountainous region about 120 kilometres north of Vientiane.

Several rescuers involved in the mission previously took part in the internationally acclaimed 2018 Thailand cave rescue.

Search teams are now preparing to push deeper into the flooded cave system in an effort to locate the two villagers who remain unaccounted for.