Rescue teams prepare to free trapped miners from flooded Laos cave

Bangkok [Thailand], May 29: Bangkok Rescue teams in Laos continued to work on Thursday to free five gold miners found alive in a flooded cave and to locate two others still missing after more than a week underground. The men, discovered on Tuesday, had been supplied with food and medicine, the Lao rescue organisation Rescue Volunteer for People said. Rescue efforts to bring them out of the cave could begin later on Thursday. The miners were reported to be exhausted and hungry but in stable condition. Rescue workers continued pumping water from the cave to make escape routes passable and were also assessing the risk of further flooding. Local media reported on Thursday morning that the two other missing men had also been found alive, though there was no immediate official confirmation. The men have been trapped since May 19 in a cave in Longchaeng district in the northern province of Xaisomboun. Ten villagers had entered the cave in search of gold when heavy rain suddenly flooded the site and a landslide blocked the exit. Three escaped and alerted authorities, while seven remained trapped. Media reports said the miners had carried enough supplies to survive for several days.
Source: Qatar Tribune