The search for two men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos has been postponed as rescuers say a 'miracle' is needed.
An international team of rescuers managed to rescue five of the men who had become trapped on May 19. Supplied: Josh RichardsRescuers have postponed their search for two men trapped in a flooded cave in Laos as the site becomes unstable and conditions worsen.
An international team, including an Australian cave diving specialist, helped rescue five of the seven miners who became trapped on May 20. Efforts would focus on pumping water from the cave system, but rescuers said they needed a "miracle" with more rain forecast for the region.
Rescuers called off their search on Saturday local time, for two men who became trapped in a semi-submerged cave in Laos more than two weeks ago, after the site became unstable and survival hopes faded. Thai rescue teams said the focus would now shift to pumping the area to reduce water levels, but needed a "miracle" to face more rain forecast for the region.
Seven villagers became trapped in the cave in Xaysomboun province in central Laos on May 20 when flash floods blocked their exit as they hunted bats for food and searched for gold in old mining areas, state media said. Rescue teams located five of the men alive a week later, extracting one diver on May 29 and guided out four men the following day after water was pumped from the flooded cavern.
A man hugs one of the freed villagers at the mouth of a cave in central Laos, after they emerged to safety on May 30. Two miners remained missing despite intensive searching by Laos and international rescue teams. The five survivors were discovered huddled in a narrow passage around 300 metres from the cave's entrance, and said the two missing men had entered the site separately.
Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian cave diver, told media the rescue operation was at an "end" as the risks of continuing the search outweighed the slim chances of the men's rescue.
"We were so close," Lee said. "The water in the cave was already manageable, but the cave entrance started to become unstable. ""They will continue to manage the water by pumping and digging at possible resurgence points to let the water flow out faster. Perhaps a miracle will happen,Lee described the mission as the most dangerous rescue operation he had experienced, facing flooding, unstable cave structures, tight restrictions and poor air quality.
South Australian diver Josh Richards describes how the four Laotian villagers managed to emerge from the cave. Thai lead rescuer Kengkad Bongkawong said in a social media post on Saturday, no one was allowed inside the cave due to the risks associated, but water pumping operations would persist outside.
"Even though we don't know the current condition of those two individuals, reducing the water level inside the cave is the best approach right now," Mr Bongkawong said. "There are still food rations and survival supplies that we have placed at various points inside the cave. If miracles exist, I believe their expertise will guide them out safely.
" Mr Bongkawong had earlier said rising rain water levels had reduced the vertical space inside the cave to around 30 centimetres — half what rescuers worked in during the operation's earlier phases. AFP
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