Seven Gold Miners Trapped in Narrow Cave: Latest Updates

Five men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos were successfully rescued by rescue teams on Saturday (30 May 2026). The operation concluded after ten days of entrapment. Citing CNN Indonesia, one person was rescued the previous day, while two others remain missing. “Five people have now been extracted, with two still missing,” according to a Facebook post by the Thai Rescue Divers, as reported by CNN Indonesia on Saturday (30 May 2026). Seven Laotian citizens entered a cave in Xaisomboun Province to search for gold, but their exit was blocked by flooding, trapping them for over a week. Rescue footage from Friday (29 May 2026) showed rescuers guiding a muddy, headlamp-wearing man out of the narrow cave entrance. Rescuers said it took around 37 minutes to move them through the passages to safety. According to Thai cave diver Kengkard Bongkawong, the survivors’ health deteriorated while waiting for rescue. “This rescue operation was extremely challenging, requiring them to be moved through narrow passages spanning hundreds of metres and involving underwater diving,” he said. Volunteer teams from several countries, including Thailand, France, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia, are involved in the rescue effort. Authorities are still searching for the two remaining trapped individuals.