Rescue Efforts Shift to Vertical Tunnels for Two Men Trapped in Laos Cave

Rescue efforts for two remaining men believed to be trapped in a cave in central Laos have shifted to investigating deep vertical tunnels in the jungle.

Seven men were trapped inside the cave in Xaisomboun province on May 19, after heavy rains caused flash flooding and landslides that blocked their exit.

Over the weekend, search teams freed a group of five villagers, after they were found in a cavern late last week. Rescue teams pumped water from flooded sections of the cave so that the men could escape.

The first of the five men emerged from underground after he was fitted with diving equipment and a team helped him navigate through a flooded section of tunnel.

The other four villagers then followed shortly afterwards, managing to free themselves after crews successfully drained the tunnel.

Efforts have now turned to trying to locate another two villagers who are believed to be missing in a different part of the cave.

Mikko Paasi, a Finnish cave diver who found the group of five men last week, says a hydrological team from Thailand who worked on the 2018 Thai cave rescue is arriving to help.

Map might be key to finding missing men

After the five trapped men were rescued, they drew a map that points rescuers to a large air chamber, in a section of the cave beyond where they were rescued. It is believed the two remaining men might be trapped there.

But heavy monsoonal rains in the last few days have flooded sections of the incredibly narrow tunnel that rescue teams had used to free the five men on the weekend.

On Sunday, South Australian Josh Richards and other divers reported finding another possible entry point to the cavern while searching the hill above the caves.

It is a deep vertical shaft that sits further up the hill.

The team attempted to rappel down several times, but they encountered a few shafts that were blocked, preventing their descent.

"They dropped down about 60 to 80 metres, they definitely identified a couple of tunnels, but they're all completely full of rockfall and landslide," Mr Richards said.

"They couldn't identify any way they could potentially work to clear it.

Mr Paasi said there was "a few more of these potential vertical shifts that might lead into the mine tunnel".

"Today we are going to explore those," he said.

No signs of life yet

Rescuers have not found any signs of life for the two men believed to be missing.

Locals who explore the cave usually pack provisions for a few days, but the flooding and landslides have caused the men to be trapped for vastly longer.

It has sparked grave fears over their survival.

While efforts continue to drain the tunnels, in a bid to allow rescuers to investigate unexplored sections of the cave, divers have ruled further attempts to make it through flooded sections of the labyrinth too dangerous.

Some of the international diving team have now left the cave site.

Villagers explore Laos caves and abandoned mines in the hope of finding gold, which can sell for a high price.

About 15 per cent of the population of Laos lives below the poverty line.