Four villagers were brought to safety after spending ten days trapped in a flooded cave in Laos' Xaisomboun province, while two men are still missing . the rescue, which involved Lao, Thai and foreign dive teams, faced zero‑visibility tunnels and narrow, water‑filled passages.

Ten‑day rescue in Xaisomboun province

Rescuers in Laos finally evacuated four men on Friday, completing the first extraction in roughly thirty minutes once they reached the trapped group. According to the report, the divers guided an injured survivor through cramped, flooded tunnels, wrapping him in a foil blanket as he emerged unsteady.

Mineral‑prospecting venture led to flash‑flood trap

The men had entered the cave seeking valuable minerals when a sudden flash flood blocked the entrance, cutting off their exit. One villager managed to escape earlier and alert authorities, prompting the discovery of seven survivors in total, five of whom were rescued before the ten‑day operation began .

International divers from 2018 Thai cave rescue join Lao effort

Experts who assisted in the famous 2018 Thai cave rescue were deployed to Xaisomboun, bringing experience in navigating submerged passages and teaching breathing techniques to the trapped men. As the source notes, the international team helped calm panicking survivors and contend with jagged walls and complete darkness.

Two missing villagers and deeper flooded chambers

Search teams are now focusing on the deeper,heavily flooded sections of the cave where the two missing men are believed to be located. The operation remains hazardous, with rescuers still confronting zero visibility and unstable rock formations as they continue the hunt for the remaining victims.