Laos halts cave search for two men amid safety concerns and rising waters
Five of the seven men trapped since May 20 have been rescued, but search efforts for the remaining pair have been called off due to high risk.
Search and rescue operations in Laos have been suspended for two men stranded in a semi-submerged cave, with authorities citing unacceptable safety risks due to unstable cave entrances and rising water levels. The decision to halt the active search was announced on Saturday, marking the end of a week-long intensive effort that successfully located and extracted five other men from the same group.
The incident began on 20 May when seven men entered the cave system while hunting for bats for food and searching for gold. The group became trapped as water levels rose, prompting a complex rescue operation involving local teams and international specialists from Finland, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, and Australia. The first of the missing men was extracted by divers on 29 May, followed by four others on 30 May after water was pumped from a flooded cavern.
Despite the successful recovery of five individuals, the conditions for the remaining two proved insurmountable. Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian cave diver involved in the operation, told the AFP news agency that while water levels had become manageable, the structural integrity of the cave entrance had deteriorated. He described continuing the operation as "high risk," noting that the team would shift focus to managing water flow rather than entering the unstable structure.
Thai lead rescuer Kengkad Bongkawong confirmed via Facebook that no personnel are permitted inside the cave due to the danger. He noted that rising rainwater flows had previously reduced the vertical clearance inside the cave to approximately 30cm, a significant reduction from the space available during the earlier phases of the rescue. With heavier rain forecast to begin on Saturday, the risk of further flooding and structural failure has increased.
Rescuers will continue to pump water and dig at resurgence points to lower internal water levels, aiming to create conditions that might allow the missing men to find their own way out if they are still alive. Food has been placed at various potential exit points as a contingency measure. The current survival status of the two men remains unknown, and the timeline for any potential renewed search is uncertain given the weather forecast.
