Rescuers searching a flooded cave in Laos believe two missing gold miners may be trapped in a previously unidentified sixth chamber, based on information provided by five survivors who have now been rescued. The search is taking place in Xaysomboun province, where seven villagers became trapped underground after entering the cave on 20 May in search of gold.

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Five of the seven miners have been found alive and rescued, while two remain missing. Survivors, who are recovering in hospital, provided what rescuers described as “substantial” information suggesting there may be a sixth chamber beyond a narrow crack in the fifth chamber. According to Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, this is the only part of the cave system that has not yet been searched.

Paasi said: “This was the only place that we haven’t checked in the mine, where the two lost miners could still be.”

Finnish diver Mikko Paasi

He added: “Now there’s a theory that, through that small crack, it still continues and there’s a sixth chamber, which gives us hope now that, if we could penetrate that small restriction, we might be able to reach the sixth chamber and then see what is there.”

The villagers entered the cave on 20 May but became trapped when flash floods and a landslide blocked their exit. Rescue teams have since navigated more than 200 metres of flooded, dark passages and discovered five chambers, with all five survivors located in the fifth chamber.

Heavy rain is continuing to affect the area, raising concerns that water levels could rise again and hinder rescue efforts. Water has already returned to the second chamber, preventing divers from entering until drainage operations can resume.

Japanese diver Yoshitaka Isaji said a key drainage pump had broken, creating additional difficulties for rescue teams. Earlier attempts to remove floodwater had also failed.

Pictures courtesy of The Sun

Despite these challenges, an international rescue effort remains under way, involving specialist divers from Thailand, Indonesia, France, Australia, Finland, Malaysia and Japan alongside local Lao rescue personnel.

Four of the rescued miners are believed to have exited the cave themselves on Saturday after water levels unexpectedly dropped. The first rescued miner was guided through a narrow flooded passage by an expert diver on Friday, a journey that took around 30 minutes. The remaining four emerged less than a day later and were treated by medical teams.

The Sun reported that survivors have been identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing and Laen. During their time underground, they survived in darkness with limited food and relied on a small pocket of airflow.

In footage released from inside the cave, survivor Ee said: “We’re weak and we’re really hungry.”

“Please bring rice and some proper food.”

Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie said survivors are being interviewed in hospital to help direct the continuing search. Rescue teams will use the information gathered to guide efforts to locate the remaining two miners as weather conditions and equipment repairs continue to affect operations.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now The-Sun 1 June 2026

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Perhaps Elon can help ?

UPDATE

Rescuers Detect Response News Signals in Laos Cave

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath

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.

Adapted by ASEAN Now ThaiRath 1 June 2026