Overview
- Ten villagers entered a gold mine cave in Xaisomboun on May 19 and three escaped while seven became trapped after a sudden flood and landslide blocked the exit.
- After more than a week of searching, rescue divers located five of the trapped men and have been supplying them with food, water and medicine while doctors wait to treat them immediately after extraction.
- Teams report they have searched roughly 95 percent of the flooded tunnel system and say the chances of finding the two still‑missing men alive are now very low.
- Rescuers are weighing two main extraction options: continue pumping water out, which is safer but has been hampered by narrow shafts, or escort inexperienced survivors through submerged, near‑zero‑visibility passages.
- International cave‑diving experts led by veteran Mikko Paasi and arriving specialists such as Josh Richards are advising the operation, and teams are building access roads, staging pumps and arranging extra oxygen and medical support because weather and unstable tunnels could force rapid changes to the plan.