Laos villagers discovered huddled on rock in dark cave after being trapped for week

28 May 2026 • 12:01 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Laos villagers discovered huddled on rock in dark cave after being trapped for week

The moment that rescuers discovered five of the seven villagers trapped in a flooded Laos cave for a week has been captured on video.

Footage shared on social media by Thai rescue team MTK Command and Control Center on Wednesday (27 May) shows five men crouched together on a rock, surrounded by water in a dark cave chamber.

The survivors were “hungry and exhausted but in stable condition”, local media reports. Two men remain unaccounted for.

The group of seven became stranded on 20 May after entering an abandoned gold mine, with heavy rain causing flash flooding that blocked their exit.

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