In an ongoing rescue mission in Laos, five gold miners remain trapped underground after being discovered by emergency teams a week following their entrapment. Despite being located, their extraction is proving hazardous and may take several days due to life-threatening conditions within the cave.
The rescue team, comprising specialist divers, identified the five miners alive on Wednesday. They were found clustered together in a tight corridor approximately 980 feet from the cave’s entrance. However, their escape has been complicated by factors such as flooding and potential cave-ins.
Unfortunately, the whereabouts of two additional miners who entered the cave with them remain uncertain, adding to the urgency of the rescue efforts.
The group found themselves trapped on May 20 in Xaysomboun province, located northeast of Laos’ capital, Vientiane. Their expedition for gold took a perilous turn when torrential rain caused flash floods that subsequently sealed off their exit.
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who discovered the miners with his Thai colleague Norrased Palasing, remarked on Wednesday about the pressing nature of the situation. He described the cave as an “abandoned gold mine” and emphasized the race against time to ensure the miners’ safe retrieval.
Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, who found the men alongside his Thai diving partner Norrased Palasing, said on Wednesday that rescuers were ‘racing against time’ inside the cave, which he called an ‘abandoned gold mine’.
He said: ‘The five survivors are still in the terminal chamber, all healthy and in good spirits, but the extraction is still ahead and it ain’t going to be easy.’
Paasi added: ‘We need to dive straight back and bring the miners more supplies to gain strength and get ready for the way out.’
Rescuers spoke to the men who were trapped and found in a flooded cave in Xaisomboun province, Laos, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Specialist divers found the five men alive and huddled in a narrow passage around 980 feet from the exit of the cave on Wednesday
The men have yet to be pulled out due to flooding, collapse risks and other hazards underground
With more rainfall expected, Thai rescuer Kengkad Bongkawong said Thursday that teams were racing to remove water from the cave.
‘If we are able to pump out a lot of water tonight, we will begin the extraction tonight,’ he wrote on social media.
‘But if it is deemed too risky after an assessment, we will reconsider.’
Even getting to the site will be a challenge, Paasi said: ‘The environment is extremely remote and hostile that starts with [a] 4km jungle track to the site.
‘When inside the mine you have to navigate hundreds of metres of constant restrictions, flood waters, collapse hazards and high risk of contaminated air quality.’
So far, rescuers have cut an access road, installed air flow and water pumps and even a WiFi connection to the first chamber of the cave complex.
Foreign rescuers – including two divers involved in the dramatic 2018 retrieval of a youth football team from a flooded cave in Thailand – joined Laotian volunteers this week after local groups requested specialist personnel and equipment to aid efforts.
Kengkad said a Malaysian cave diver was one of the latest foreigners to join the rescue operation.
Additional divers from Japan, France, Indonesia and Thailand were expected to arrive on Friday ‘to prevent emergencies, including the risk from additional rainwater expected to flow in tomorrow’.
On Thursday morning, rain sent more soil and water into the cave
Local villagers, rescue groups and logistics workers were also supporting the operation
The cave system, located in a remote mountainous area, extends deep underground, with multiple levels and tight tunnels.
On Thursday morning, rain sent more soil and water into the cave, according to a Laotian logistics staffer for a firm supplying vehicles to support the rescue operation.
‘If there isn’t too much more rain, they may be able to bring them out today. But if heavier rain comes, it could take a few more days,’ said the man, who requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal from his employer.
Local villagers, rescue groups and logistics workers were also supporting the operation, with more than 20 people standing by at the cave entrance, he said.
‘Morale improved yesterday. People are happy and hopeful today after the five people were found.’
