First survivor is safely out of flooded cave in Laos, rescue diver says
By Kocha Olarn, Isaac Yee, Bex Wright, Kara Fox, Will Ripley, Helen Regan,and Angie Puranasamriddhi
Laos (CNN) – Specialist cave divers on a multinational team are racing to free villagers who became trapped in a remote cave in Laos over a week ago. Rescue divers inside the cave were heard screaming “they are coming out” during a phone interview with CNN on Friday night local time. The stranded men are over 800 feet (more than 200 meters) from the cave’s entrance, which slopes downward at a 45-degree gradient.
One survivor was brought out of the flooded chamber late Friday evening, guided by a rescue diver from a multinational team. Four other villagers remain inside and are awaiting assessment before evacuation, Kengkad Bongkawong, the head of the Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue, said on Facebook.
Police officers and other emergency workers are waiting alongside several ambulances, ready to transport him and any injured villagers who are brought out of the cave.
Five of the villagers were found huddled together in a pitch-black chamber above the murky waters. The men appear mostly well but have shared fears about remaining in the cave for much longer as they endure severe hunger. Two other people believed to have entered the cave are still missing.
Who are the men trapped in the Laos cave?
The men are local villagers who went into the cave last week in search of gold deposits within the cave system, according to Laos officials.
Two are thought to have entered the cave earlier, unconnected to the five who were found on Wednesday.
Rescuers say the men are familiar with the cave system and would have known to retreat to its chambers and elevated ledges when the water started rising.
As night fell near the entrance to the cave where seven villagers are trapped, CNN witnessed more heavy machinery and motorbikes ferrying supplies, including food and water, toward the cave.
At the beginning of the makeshift road to the cave, a small number of police officers and other emergency workers are waiting alongside several ambulances, ready to transport any injured villagers should they be extracted from the cave.
Some rescuers who have been at the cave have also come down to rest in a small village near the start of the road. Some have set out hammocks while others rest in trucks.
Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie said rescuers divers were in the process of teaching those located how to use diving equipment.
Toward the end of the interview, voices behind Lee could be heard saying “they are coming out.”
It is unclear how many villagers Lee was referring as “coming out” or when this will happen.
The-CNN-Wire
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