Rescue teams searching for two remaining missing Lao nationals trapped inside a cave in Xaisomboun Province, central Laos, have reported a potentially significant breakthrough after receiving what they believe are response signals from deep within the cave system.
The development has raised hopes that the two missing people are still alive. According to Mr Manat Artmongkron, head of the rescue operations team from the Saitharn Association, a specialist rope rescue team conducted a ground survey across the mountain above the cave. Team members tapped limestone walls at five-metre intervals to send sound signals vertically into the cave.
Rescuers subsequently heard knocking sounds and scraping noises against limestone coming from below. They believe the sounds may have been made by the two missing individuals attempting to signal that they are still alive.
The rescue operation follows an incident in which seven Lao nationals became trapped inside the cave in Xaisomboun Province on Tuesday, 19 May. Rescue personnel from multiple agencies later succeeded in bringing five survivors out of the cave, leaving two people still unaccounted for.
Despite the encouraging signs, rescue teams have not yet been able to locate the missing pair. Officials believe the two individuals may be sheltering in Chamber 6 of the cave system, but access remains extremely difficult due to the area’s complex layout and multiple branching passages.
Rescuers are gathering detailed information from the five survivors who were rescued earlier in order to refine their understanding of the cave and establish a new route to the suspected location of the missing pair.
The focus of operations on 1 June is water management. Rescue teams are working to lower water levels inside the cave as much as possible to allow access to the area where the response signals were detected.
Officials estimate that the location of the two missing people is approximately 25 metres from the point where the first five survivors were found. If water levels can be sufficiently reduced, there is a possibility that the trapped individuals may be able to walk out of the cave.
ThaiRath reported that rescue teams have stated that they will continue operations at full capacity in an effort to bring the remaining two survivors out of the cave as quickly as possible.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now ThaiRath 1 June 2026