Overview
- Rescuers located the trapped men in a rocky chamber about 200–300 meters inside the cave, and after continuous emergency pumping the five walked out on Saturday.
- International cave‑diving teams prepared a high‑risk plan and escorted the first survivor through narrow, silted passages on Friday before conditions improved.
- Pumps ran through the night to lower water levels, a move rescuers said made it possible for the remaining four to self‑evacuate without extended dives.
- Two members of the original seven remain missing, and teams are weighing whether to search deeper because seasonal heavy rains could quickly re‑flood the system.
- The men entered the remote limestone cave to search for gold as part of informal, small‑scale mining, a practice local officials say raises serious safety and environmental risks.