Rescuers pull 4 from flooded cave in Laos, 2 still missing

Rescuers pulled four people from a flooded cave in Laos on Saturday, Thai volunteer rescuers said, hours after another man was brought out late on Friday.

The five are among seven Lao nationals who had entered the cave in Xaisomboun province to prospect for gold, but were trapped for more than a week when rising water blocked their exit. Two others remain missing.

Kengkard Bongkawong, a Thai cave diver involved in the mission, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that all four of the trapped people had emerged from the cave.

Video footage from the volunteers showed rescuers bringing four Laotian men out of the cave with flashlights strapped to their heads and with muddy clothes.

They had joyful expressions on their faces, and some were crying with relief.

The five rescued people were found by rescuers on Wednesday, but had remained trapped. Rescue officials said they would continue searching for the two missing people.

A team of volunteers from neighbouring Thailand joined the rescue efforts last Sunday and further reinforcements, including divers from Finland, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and Australia, have also joined the rescue operation, the volunteer group posted on Facebook.

The international rescue team included some members who were involved in the 17-day rescue at the flooded mountain cave of Tham Luang in northern Thailand in 2018.