Rescue operations are continuing in Laos after seven people became trapped inside a remote cave in the country’s central region nearly five days ago following heavy rainfall and a landslide.

The operation has drawn international attention as several divers involved in the world-renowned 2018 Thai cave rescue mission joined efforts to reach the trapped group.

According to local sources, the group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province on Wednesday for wildlife research and gold prospecting activities. However, intense rain triggered a landslide that blocked the cave entrance and flooded internal passageways.

Authorities in Laos have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.

Footage shared by Thai volunteer rescue teams showed personnel crawling through dark, narrow, mud-filled tunnels in an attempt to reach the trapped individuals. Rescue workers said one of the access passages measures only around 60 centimeters in height.

Metta Tham Rescue operations coordinator Kengkard Bongkawong said teams inside the cave are installing rescue ropes while external crews continue efforts to pump water out of the system.

“The route is not complicated, but the space is extremely narrow. We have to crawl and tilt sideways to move forward, and the rocks are very sharp,” he said.

Rescuers have not yet established direct contact with the trapped group. However, one person who managed to exit the cave reportedly told authorities that the group had reached a deeper chamber located above the rising water level.

Kengkard, who also participated in the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand, said he believes the trapped individuals may still be alive because air pockets remain inside the cave.

Rescue teams reportedly reached within approximately 40 meters of the group’s suspected location, but progress has been slowed by sediment and debris filling the narrow passageways after continued rainfall.

“The passage is only about 50 centimeters wide. We first need to clear the mud and sediment. The route is very low and requires moving at about a 45-degree angle,” Kengkard explained.

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi and Thai diver Norrased Palasing, both veterans of the 2018 Thai rescue mission, joined the operation on Monday.

Rescue workers also noted that reaching the cave itself is difficult, requiring a roughly five-kilometer trek through mountainous terrain.

It remains unclear whether the trapped group was conducting independent gold prospecting activities or working on behalf of a mining company.

In recent years, alluvial mining for gold, diamonds, and platinum has expanded rapidly in Laos. According to research by the Stimson Center, nearly 200 new mining sites were opened in the country between 2023 and 2025.

The Lao government last year announced a suspension of new alluvial gold mining licenses due to environmental concerns. (ILKHA)