Laos cave rescue halted as conditions worsen for two still missing

Rescuers in Laos have called off the search for two men still trapped in a flooded cave in Xaysomboun province after conditions at the site deteriorated. An international team had already rescued five of the seven villagers who were caught by flash floods in the semi-submerged cave. The latest decision means the operation has shifted away from active searching and towards managing water levels in the cave system.

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The men became trapped on 20 May when flash floods blocked the exit as they were hunting bats for food and searching for gold in old mining areas, according to state media. Rescue teams later located five of the villagers alive, around a week after the incident, in a narrow passage about 300 metres from the entrance. One diver was brought out on 29 May and four more were guided to safety the following day after water was pumped from the cavern.

Thai rescue teams said the focus would now be on pumping water from the cave system, but warned that more rain was forecast for the region. A Malaysian cave diver involved in the mission said the rescue operation was effectively at an end because the risks of continuing outweighed the slim chances of finding the two missing men alive. He described the effort as the most dangerous rescue operation he had experienced, citing flooding, unstable cave structures and poor conditions underground.

The incident has drawn in rescuers from several countries, including an Australian cave diving specialist, reflecting the difficulty of operating in flooded cave systems. Such rescues depend on water levels falling enough for divers to move through narrow passages and for trapped people to be reached safely. In this case, the combination of unstable ground, rising water and forecast rain has made the remaining search far more difficult.

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The rescue also highlights the risks faced in remote mining and foraging areas where sudden weather changes can turn caves into traps. The seven villagers were inside the cave when flash floods cut off their exit, and the two still missing had reportedly entered separately from the others. That detail has complicated the search, because rescuers have had to work through a large and unstable underground area rather than a single known route.

What remains unclear is whether the two missing men are still alive and whether conditions will improve enough for any renewed search. For now, teams are expected to continue pumping and digging at possible water outlets in the hope of lowering the flood level. The next developments will depend on rainfall, cave stability and whether the water can be reduced enough to make further access possible.

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